Subject: Lukan Portrait of Paul

updated on 12/19/94 11:28:51 AM File: c:\msoffice\winword\LKP_RE1.doc

prepared by Philip Yim Kwok Hung (M. Th. Candidate)

Annotated Bibliography:

Brawley, Robert L. Luke-Acts and the Jews : Conflict, Apology, and Conciliation.

SBL Monograph Series 33. Atlanta : Scholars, 1987.

The author holds that Luke depicts the triumph of gentile Christianity at the expense of Jews, and who are formulating a construct of Luke’s thought in relation to his life in an environment where inner Jewish questions are still viable (p.2). The rejection of Jesus in Nazareth is the starting conflict and the programmatic character of Acts 1:8 is obvious (Ch. 2). Then in Ch. 3, he explains its relationship with subsequent events. Luke has used Hellenistic literary devices to sanction Paul, which shows legitimation of Paul is a key to Acts (Ch. 4). Luke has also exonerated Paul as thoroughly Jewish against both external Jewish detractors and internal Christian opponents (Ch. 5). He then discusses Lukan categories of Jews and Jewish institutions. As he claims, Lukas has depicted the Pharisees as respected and authoritative representatives of Judaism (Ch. 6), while Sadducees is taken as unworthy representation of Judaism. Though ordinary priests gain a positive evaluation from Luke, Jerusalem and the temple is under judgement (Ch. 7). Furthermore, the roles of Jewish crowds must be individually differentiated (Ch. 8).

Franklin, E. Luke: Interpreter of Paul, Critic of Matthew.

NTA 38 (3, ‘94) p.460 JSNT Sup. Series 92. Sheffield: JSOT, 1994.

The book is divided into two parts: 1) Luke and Paul : he discusses the apostolic decree, continuity and discontinuity, Paul as preacher to Israel, theologia crucis, and why this Paul. 2) Luke and Matthew: Luke as a direct response to Matthew, and could have been written out of or at least to the same church from and for which Matthew wrote. He also compares different understandings of the two on the Pharisees, the law, Christians and Jews, the kingdom of God, and Christology.

Goodenough, Erwin R. “The Perspectives of Acts,” Studies in Luke-Acts. L.E. Keck

and J.L. Martyn ed. London: SPCK, 1966. pp. 54-57.

Problem to solve: “Acts seems to be a piece of deliberate propaganda designed to assure Theophilus that Paul also had preached this faith in a call to men everywhere to repent, be baptised, believe that Jesus had risen from the dead, and await the great Return. (p.54). Paul’s Roman citizenship is Luke’s fiction. (p.55.)

Hemer, Colin J. The Book of Acts in the Setting of Hellenistic History.

Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 1990.

Jervell, Jacob. Luke and the people of God: a new look at Luke-Acts.

226.4 J488L Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1972.

Jervell, Jacob. The Unknown Paul: Essays on Luke-Acts and Early Christian History.

226.606 J488u 1984 Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1984.

His view: Paul’s letters are mostly written in polemical situations and determined by a few controversial questions in Paul’s dealing with some of his churches and his Jewish and Jewish Christian opponents. The other, unknown Paul is the irenic, non-controversial, and non-polemical apostle and missionary with the same preaching and practice as the other parts of the church. The unknown Paul can found mostly in sensations of Paul’s theology. But this Paul dominated the portrait in the Acts of the Apostles, whereas Luke plays down the polemical Paul.

Käsemann, Ernst. “Ephesians and Acts,” Studies in Luke-Acts. L.E. Keck and J.L. Martyn ed. London: SPCK, 1966. pp. 288-297.

Problem to solve: comparison between the traditions in Eph.(Catholic) and Acts (Pauline) (p.289.) e.g. Eph. 3 theological significance of the apostolate (p.291.)

Käsemann, Ernst. Perspectives on Paul.

225.924 d281ka : SPCK, 1977.

Knox, John. “Acts and the Pauline Letter Corpus,” Studies in Luke-Acts. L.E. Keck

and J.L. Martyn ed. London: SPCK, 1966. pp. 279-287.

Problem to solve: relationship between Acts [dated A.D. 125 (p.286)] & collection of the Pauline letters (p.280.)

Krodel, Gerhard. Acts. Proclamation Commentaries.

226.6 K913e c.1 Philadelphia: Fortress, 1981.

Lentz, John C., Jr. Luke’s portrait of Paul. SNTS Monograph Series 77

Cambridge: CUP, 1993.

His point of departure: Luke was highlighting, if not creating, Paul’s social status and moral virtue; this portrayal of Paul is too good to be true (page 171.)

Marshall, I. H. The Acts of the Apostles.

NT Guides. Sheffield: JSOT, 1992.

It discusses the genre and structure, situation and purpose, the witness of the church to the Messiah. the witnessing community and its problems , history and theology, and the hermeneutic problem.

Maddox, Robert. “The Picture of Paul in Acts,” The Purpose of Luke - Acts, pp. 66-90.

226.4 M264p Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1982.

He gives a brief analysis of the events about Paul and his theology according to Acts. Then he tackle the problem “why Paul is important to Luke”. he repudiates J. Jervell’s position “that Luke was forced to grapple with the problem of Paul’s actual historical function as a missionary and theologian, to whom ‘the greatest segment of the Christian church’ owes its origin” (quoted in p.68). He pointed out that there are many non-Pauline churches mentioned in Acts; also the subsequent history of individual Pauline churches are not stressed and they show no distinct differences with other churches. Maddox proposes that Luke takes Paul as a symbol of the whole Christianity of his times. The concentration on Paul is also caused by Lukan style, which favours individual portrait or scene rather than describing a general development. For Luke, Paul is not an apostle. the ‘we’-style may reflects Luke wants to hint that he himself had had a share, in the career of Paul. Paul is a bridge between the apostles and Luke’s times. The key is what kind of bridge. To our surprise, though the mission is stressed, but Paul’s imprisonment is described with length. However, the imprisonment has no clear ending to it. Luke may has 3 purposes on it: the gospel has arrived Rome, Paul represents the Christian world-mission, and Paul has to bear the mark of Christ by going through suffering and even martyrdom. The church described by Luke is a church under pressure and prevails under the support of the Holy Spirit.

Petersen, Norman R. Rediscovering Paul: Philemon and the Sociology of Paul’s Narrative World.

Philadelphia: Fortress, 1985.

[review: by N. Peterson 1985, J. Smith, Dennis E. Forum 2:57-66 S 1986.

Segal, Alan F. Rebecca’s Children: Judaism and Christianity in the Roman World.

Cambridge, Massachusetts & London: Harvard University Press, 1986.

Vielhauser, Philip. “On the Paulinism of Acts,” Studies in Luke-Acts. L.E. Keck

and J.L. Martyn ed. London: SPCK, 1966. pp. 33-50.

Problem to solve: “Paul the Roman citizen seems to me in all probability still

another part of Luke’s fiction.” (p.55.)

My response: Why & How Luke told this “fiction” to some Gentiles who know clearly what “a Roman citizen by birth” means? Besides, this book is collected by the Christian community that accept Paul’s authority. Then how can Christians who know Paul accept a fiction about him? He is a controversial person, a misunderstanding on him has a very strong impact; his friends will not accept a distorted picture on Paul.

Watson, Francis. Paul, Judaism and the Gentiles.

phia: Fortress, 1986.