Paul’s farewell address to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:17-35 is a climactic speech in Paul’s ministry and a remarkable piece of rhetoric. The enigmatic quotation of Jesus’ words in Acts 20:35 has sparked much inquiry and speculation with little consensus as to its origin. Nevertheless, Paul’s address is anchored in the memory of Jesus’ … Read more
Peter’s vision and subsequent evangelism at Cornelius’ house (10:1-48) marks a significant shift in the narrative of Acts, which prepares the church for its mission to the Gentiles. Luke prefaces this pivotal episode with two miracle accounts in 9:32-43. These two accounts, along with Peter’s ministry to Cornelius, echo three distinct episodes in Jesus’ ministry: … Read more
The Book of Acts begins with an anticipation of the soon return of Jesus. Peter’s sermon on Pentecost connects the coming of the Holy Spirit to the advent of the eschatological age predicted by Joel. His sermon in Acts 3 looks forward to the “times of refreshing” coming from the presence of the Lord. Yet … Read more
Although scholars have often considered the Zacchaeus pericope (Luke 19:1-10) as a theological lens for Luke’s narrative (Harris, 2016, Green 1997), this paper expands upon this concept by presenting a unique understanding of Luke’s depiction of Jesus’ person and work throughout the narrative according to the relationship between Luke 19:1-10, Ezekiel 34, and Luke 1–2. … Read more
Interpretation of Jesus’s sayings in Luke 5:36–39 and its parallels (Mark 2:21–22 || Matt 9:16–17) is frequently done without sufficient appreciation for the context of the sayings (Luke 5:33–35 || Mark 2:18–20 || Matt 9:14–15). This leads to conclusions that these sayings are about the incompatibility of the religious practices of the new covenant and … Read more
As part of Paul’s notable farewell speech to the Ephesian elders, Acts 20:32 has received little detailed attention. Scholars have noted the literary correlations between Paul’s commendation to the Ephesians in Acts 20 and the Mosaic blessing of Israel in Deuteronomy 33, yet without expanding on the implications for Jewish and Christian identity, Paul’s use … Read more
As several surveys (G. Saß 1995, K. Conway 2014) of the language of divine commitment have shown, it was uncommon to speak of God or a god making commitments in the form of promises in Greek literature prior to the 1st c. AD. Within the 1st century, however, in the writings of Philo, Josephus, and … Read more
Since the first half of the nineteenth century, New Testament scholars have argued that the use of parallelism in the Lukan writings directly relates to and clarifies their communicative purposes. However, interpretations have long varied on what purpose Luke’s use of parallelism serves, ranging from conciliatory to apologetic to edifying and even to comforting purposes, … Read more
The scholarly consensus on Lukan Christology predominantly emphasizes the regal and prophetic aspects of Jesus, often sidelining or outright denying his priestly role. Notable scholars such as Bock have categorically stated that Luke’s Gospel lacks a priestly motif for Jesus, focusing instead on his kingly and prophetic nature and the authority of his name in … Read more
This submission is a co-authored proposal by Robert Singer and David Warren. Luke 9:51 states, “Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem” (NIV). This statement marks Jesus’s determination to travel to Jerusalem for the last time. Bauer’s lexicon notes that the literal wording in Greek, to “set one’s face,” actually comes from Hebrew and denotes “firmness … Read more