New Testament Notes - Luke

John the Baptist: Jesus' "cousin," announced Jesus as Messiah.
Messiah: Anointed one; expectation was a political, not spiritual, savior.
Gentile: Non-Jew.
Elijah: Old Testament prophet associated with Messiah's coming.
Judea: Roman Kingdom including regions like Judea, Palestine, Samaria, Galilee.
Disciples: Followers of a teacher.
Apostles: "Sent ones," used for Jesus' missionary disciples.
Eschaton/Eschatology: The end of time/texts about the end of time.
Jerusalem: Central city of Judaism, Temple location, symbol of holiness.
Jericho: City northeast of Jerusalem, in Samaria, symbol of moving away from holiness.

Political Context: Judea/Palestine conquered by various empires for a millennium.
- Independent from 160-63 BCE.
- Roman Empire took control in 63 BCE, ending Jewish independence.
Jewish Revolts: Great Revolt/Jewish Wars (66-73 CE) led to the destruction of the Temple in $70$ CE.
- Marked the end of Second Temple Judaism and beginning of Rabbinic Judaism.
Religious Divisions (Pre- $70$ CE):
- Pharisees: Believed in written and oral Torah, a messiah, afterlife; basis of Rabbinic Judaism; anti-Roman/Hellenization.
- Sadducees: In charge of Temple; stressed written Torah; pro-Roman/Hellenization.
- Essenes: Criticized Pharisees/Sadducees; practiced asceticism in remote locations.
- Many figures claimed to be Messiah, leading rebellions.

Jesus' ministry occurred within this political and religious background.
Emphasized rendering "unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's" (Mark $12:13-17$ ).
Post- $70$ CE, early Christians accommodated Roman/Hellenistic influence, distinguishing from Rabbinic Judaism and becoming majority Gentile.

Synoptic Gospels:
- Mark ( $64-72$ CE): First generation Jesus community, eschatological, urgent, political.
- Matthew ( $70-90$ CE): Jewish Jesus community, concerned with Old Testament fulfillment; likely used Mark.
- Luke ( $70-90$ CE): Gentile Jesus community, concerned with marginalized/non-Jewish; likely used Mark; author also wrote Acts.
Non-Synoptic Gospel:
- John ( $90-110$ CE): Jesus community using Greek philosophy to understand Jesus.
Each gospel is for a different audience, based on communal memories and Greco-Roman literary conventions, incorporating specific symbols/images.
Passion narratives (Jesus' arrest to resurrection) are fairly consistent across gospels.

Structure of Luke-Acts: Moves from Galilee, towards Jerusalem where Christ is crucified, then from Jerusalem to the wider world (Acts).
Chapter $1$ Structure: Prologue, announcements/birth of John, announcement/birth of Jesus (Annunciation), Canticle of Mary (Magnificat), Canticle of Zechariah.
Annunciation (Luke $1:26-33$ ): Angel Gabriel announces Jesus' birth to Mary in Nazareth; Jesus will be Son of the Most High, inheriting David's throne, reigning forever.
Incarnation (Luke $1:34-38$ ):
- Mary questions how she can conceive as a virgin.
- Angel states the Holy Spirit will overshadow her, making the child holy and Son of God.
- Incarnation: God (second person of Trinity) taking on human flesh/nature.
  - Not divine/human sex; Mary freely consents.
- Immaculate Conception: About Mary's conception without original sin (Catholic dogma, $1854$ ).
  - Explains Mary's selection and Jesus' sinlessness.
Magnificat (Luke $1:46-55$ ): Mary's vision of God's reign: exalting the lowly, filling the hungry, scattering the proud, bringing down the powerful.
Parables: Stories to illustrate a point or confound; often critique power structures; ambiguous points; can be linked for collections of ideas.

An expert in the law asks Jesus how to inherit eternal life, then "Who is my neighbor?"
Context: Road from Jerusalem (holiness) to Jericho (away from holiness).
- Priest/Levite: Needed ritual purity, avoided touching blood/corpse.
- Samaritans: Ethnically/religiously different from Jews, perceived as impure, long-standing hostility.
Story: Man robbed and left half-dead.
- A Priest and a Levite pass by on the other side.
- A Samaritan is moved by compassion, bandages his wounds, takes him to an inn, pays for his care.
Jesus' conclusion: The neighbor is the one who showed mercy. "Go and do likewise."
Meaning: Beyond just helping people, challenges religious/social purity laws and ethnic/religious prejudice, redefining "neighbor" to include the despised.

These parables illustrate the nature of God's love and pursuit of people.
God is represented by figures who actively seek or welcome back what was lost (shepherd, woman, father).
People are represented by the lost (sheep, coin, prodigal son) and those who are found/welcomed. The nature of God is one of active, unconditional love and rejoicing over repentance.