Shaping the Past to Define the Present
Luke-Acts and Apologetic Historiography
Gregory E. Sterling
- 304 «pägés»
- English
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Shaping the Past to Define the Present
Luke-Acts and Apologetic Historiography
Gregory E. Sterling
«Äböüt Thïs Böök ö ñ»
Uncovering ancient texts and rethinking early Christian identity with the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles
S haping the Past to Define the Present comprises both new and revised essays by esteemed New Testament scholar Gregory E. Sterling on Jewish and early Christian historiography. A sequel to his seminal work, Historiography and Self-Definition, this volume expands on Sterling's reading of Luke-Acts in the context of contemporary Jewish and Greek historiography. These systematically arranged essays comprise his new and revised contributions to the field of biblical studies, exploring:
- the genre of apologetic historiography exemplified by Josephus and Eusebius
- the context of Josephus's work within a larger tradition of Eastern historiography
- the initial composition and circulation of Luke and Acts
- the relationship of Luke-Acts to the Septuagint
- the interpretation of the Diaspora in Luke-Acts
- the structure of salvation history as it is manifested in Luke-Acts
- Socratic influences on Luke's portrayal of Jesus's death
- the early Jerusalem Christian community as depicted in Acts compared with other Hellenized Eastern traditions such as Egyptian priests and Indian sages
- the establishment of Christianity's "socially respectability" as a guiding purpose in Luke-Acts
Engaging with current critical frameworks, Sterling offers readers a comprehensive analysis of early Christian self-definition through Judeo-Christian historiography.