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In contrast to the Old Testament, which was written over a period of 1100 years, and incorporated traditions of an even earlier thousand years, the 27 documents of the New Testament were all written within the short span of 60 years. They were part of the many literary communications between Christian communities, (especially after the loss of their leaders and 'headquarters' in Jerusalem), as they shared their own memories and traditions of Jesus, and what he now meant to them. Of those letters which were not selected for the NT, most have been lost, leaving scholars with many gaps in their knowledge. Occasionally another fragment turns up, and there is much scholarly excitement as the new discovery is assessed for its reliability and its credibility, as we noted last time with the Didache, and realised all it confirmed about the Church at Antioch, which had produced Matthew's Gospel. Letters continued to flow, especially as the Romans were beginning to wonder how dangerous to the state were these 'Christians' who would not worship the Emperor as a god. Soon another type of writing made its appearance, - an 'Apologia' for Christianity, (the first of many), to persuade the Romans that they had nothing to fear from this new religion.
The first major 'apologist' for Christianity known to us, is the anonymous author we call 'Luke'. Tradition says he was a very well educated gentile Christian, a native of Antioch, but who later lived and worked somewhere in Greece or, perhaps, Ephesus. Tradition also claims he was a doctor, and also an artist, but this is unsubstantiated. He certainly was a creative artist in Greek literary style. His two books, a Gospel, and The Acts of the Apostles, are the longest, most beautiful, and most sophisticated writings in the New Testament. Although now separated by the fourth gospel, they are two parts of one long and continuous story, addressed to the 'most excellent Theophilus'. He may have been someone high up in influential circles, who could have been influential in allaying Roman fears and suspicions, or he may have been a literary invention, with the same purpose. Luke's 'orderly account', however, was not a strictly 'historical' account, but an orderly account of events in order of their importance, rather than a mere diary of events. His scheme is now often known to scholars as 'Salvation History' .
The Gospel follows the same pattern as in the original scheme of Mark's story, (remember the 'washing line'?) but it includes a lot of original material, found in neither Mark nor Matthew. In the second part of the 'washing line', Luke has arranged the block of Jesus's teaching into the context of a long journey, a literary device to move the reader along to the next stage. The Birth Narratives in chs 1 & 2, and the Resurrection stories in ch 24, are unique to this author, and create part of the framework which also includes vol 2, in The Acts. The Ascension story forms the 'hinge' from one to the other.
Like the Gospel story, the main thrust of Acts begins with the 'Baptism' of the Apostles, with fire, at Pentecost. Like the Gospel, it has two major 'turning points' in the middle, with Peter's dream, (ch 10), and the debate in Jerusalem, (ch 15). Like the Gospel again, the second lengthy part takes the form of the long journeys of Paul, until he arrives at his final destination in the Imperial City itself, Rome. Even the Gospel's climax, the death and resurrection of Jesus at Jerusalem, is reflected in the climax of Acts, with the traumatic shipwreck of Paul, (including a quasi last 'breaking of bread'), and his miraculous survival to continue preaching the Good News, apparently ... for evermore, in Rome!
Throughout these two books, there is a constant theme: the Holy Spirit is at work!
Throughout the two books, the subtle Apologist presents Christianity in very favourable terms to Rome. The Gospel begins, linking the time of Jesus with that of Caesar Augustus whose birth was also hailed as that of a 'son of God'. Augustus was also credited historically with establishing the Pax Romana, and Jesus too was hailed by the angels as bringing peace to the world. Allthough historically there was no universal census ordered, and although Quirinius was not governor of Syria until 6 CE, Luke gives credit to the Romans for enabling the birth of Jesus to take place in Bethlehem, the city of David, as God had planned!
Theologically, the ending of The Acts is open-ended to the future, ...... and still favourable to the Roman state!
Now for a more detailed look at the Gospel, which in one sense is the prologue to the thrust of The Acts, but in an other sense, is the third portrayal of the life and work of Jesus, in the NT, following the same framework as Mark had pioneered, and Matthew had followed. This common framework links the study of these three gospels together, as 'The Synoptic Gospels', but Luke's, like the other two, has its own distinctive characteristics.
Luke's Gospel is considered to be the most attractive of the four, portraying Jesus as full of compassion for all people, including women. This impression is enhanced by the author's beautiful style of poetic story-telling.
The first two chapters are unique, and provide the basis for all medieval Mystery Plays, and the modern, popular, Nativity Plays presented by schools and churches at Christmas time.
The vision of Zechariah, the priest, in the Temple at Jerusalem provides the location for the start of Luke's long story, which will end at Rome, the 'new Jerusalem', the heart of God's plan for the whole world. It also focuses on the fullness of time for the fulfillment all God's promises. Like Luke's first sentence, (all four verses in 1.1-4), he balances his first story with a comparable second, that of the angel Gabriel's visit to Mary at Nazareth. Then after a 'bridge' story of Mary's visit to Elizabeth, there are two more, well-balanced stories, - the birth of John, followed by the birth of Jesus. These have given us the beloved poetic songs of praise, Magnificat, Benedictus, and also Nunc Dimittis, - beautiful Greek, but soaked in themes from the Jewish OT scriptures. All the material for these two chapters has come from sources unknown to us. Forty or fifty years earlier, Paul would have been horrified, for all other prevailing stories of 'Virginal Conceptions' were part of the gentile world, and not Jewish at all! Luke, however, was writing for the gentile world, a world that would have understood the meaning, and the significance, of such a story! The 'journeying' theme is opened up with the first major trip, (at Rome's connivance), to Bethlehem, and the whole is infused with joy, and wonder, at the mighty works of God, and Jesus, who is hailed as Saviour, Messiah, and LORD. Its climax is Simeon's declaration that Jesus is the 'light to all the gentiles'. Another 'bridge' story, of Jesus in the Temple at 12 years of age, enabled the author then, to pick up Mark's pattern, in ch 3.
Although Luke followed Mark's overall scheme, he used Mark's material much more freely than Matthew had done.
(had Luke ever seen a copy of Matthew?) He inserted a genealogical table, but unlike Matthew, portrayed Jesus as descended, like all gentiles, from the universal 'Adam'. Then, however, he places the story of Jesus's rejection, by his own people at Nazareth, at the very beginning of the Galilean ministry, thus setting the scene for what was eventually to follow. The implied message, as Jesus 'walked away through the midst of them', was that people can only hinder, but not prevail against, God's overall plan! Matthew's Sermon on the Mount, in Luke's gospel, becomes the Sermon on the Plain, with a different list of the Beatitudes.
Mark's central 'turning points', of the confession of faith, and the Transfiguration, are followed quite closely by Luke, except that Luke uses the latter story to introduce the next theme of his narrative, in the words ascribed to Moses and Elijah, who 'appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem'. Even the death of Jesus is introduced as being part of God's Plan, rather than a judicial Roman punishment!
Most of Luke's own contribution to our knowledge of Jesus's teaching is in the next 10 chapters, (9-19), in the context of a long journey from Galilee to Jerusalem. He has recorded many well-loved passages, including the stories of the Good Samaritan, the Lost Sheep, the Prodigal Son, the Unjust Steward, the Rich Man and Lazarus, and many more. It is thought that Luke's shorter version of the Lord's Prayer is closer to the original than Matthew's version, (cp Lk.11.1-4, with Matth.6.9-13)
In the Passion Narrative at the end of the Gospel, Luke follows Mark's scheme quite closely, but obviously had an independent source for his account of the Last Supper, and the conversation on the way to Gethsemane. Then his presentation of the death of Jesus is a muted account of his sufferings. We have already noted the three attempts of the Roman, Pilate, to 'save' Jesus from the Jews' condemnation and rejection of him, but the journey to the Cross, and the process of crucifixion, in Luke's gospel are portrayed in almost calm dignity. The Cross has become a pulpit. Jesus is the exemplary model for all subsequent Christian martyrs, (cp Stephen, in Acts 7). Jesus died a pious death, quoting Ps 31.3, and 'breathed his last' as if in full control. The real climax of this Gospel is the last chapter, with its account of the Resurrection journey to Emmaus, and the new recognition of the Risen Jesus in the 'breaking of bread'. ............. And so on, into the story of the Resurrection Community.
The 'Synoptic Puzzle': The three synoptic gospels have given scholars much food for study, and debate for more than 200 years, because they are not only distinct from each other, they also include much that is exactly the same, even word for word, the same as each other. The question arises, who copied from whom?
There are two main hypotheses.
When the gospel texts are arranged in parallel columns, (currently published in several forms for students), it is easy to see examples of both Matthew and Luke following Mark's text closely.
The Q-hypothesis is useful when trying to account for identical passages in Matthew and Luke, which cannot be found at all in Mark. For example:
From such passages it would appear to scholars that 'Q' was a product of the Wisdom Tradition, still alive and active in the world of the 1st cent.CE. It is a big hope, that one day a fragment of it may be discovered, just as the so-called 'Gospel of Thomas' was unearthed, in the discovery of the Nag Hamadi library in Egypt. This could also have originated in the 1st cent, and contains 114 sayings, purportedly of Jesus. Some compare with sayings in the four Biblical gospels, and some are quite unknown. Of these, some are bizarre, but on or two ring as possibly genuine, for example:
And so on. This and many more 'apochryphal' texts can be found on the internet.
The 'synoptic studies' consume much of a student's time and energy, but can be very rewarding.
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