Abstract
Bachelor's of Arts Thesis
Among the many purposes of the author of Luke-Acts, one of the most pertinent was "to present Roman authority to Christians, and the Christians to Roman authorities, in the best possible light, in the hope of fostering good relations between them." The presentation of "Roman authority to Christians" was accomplished primarily through the refutation of the Jewish tradition, and the substitution of the Romans as both the legitimate political rulers and as the equally intended, more receptive recipients of the 'good news.' Toward this end, Luke portrays Romans throughout his narrative as being sympathetic or, at least, non-antagonistic. For example, the words, "this man was innocent," are voiced in Luke by a Roman centurion. This declaration may be contrasted with that of Matthew and of Mark, who both use the statement, "Truly this was the son of God," in the following manner: Matthew has this said by an unspecific "they," and while it is uttered by a lone centurion in Mark, translation defies differentiation between the all-important "the Son," or the more generic, "a son." Luke chooses to avoid this ambiguity altogether and pens a line which is much more in keeping with his tragic tone (see Part II below) by preventing a premature Discovery.
By this rejection of the Jews Luke also sought to emphasize the independence of Christianity as a religion apart from Judaism; as long as Christianity was viewed by the Romans as merely a heretical sect among the Jews, it would be denied the official sanction which would guarantee freedom from persecution.
Christianity thus being severed from the blanket covering Judaism, it became imperative that Roman authorities be swayed as soon as possible towards the opinion that this new religion presented no threat of rebellion against their occupation and deserved their laissez-faire policy. Approaching, then, the problem of presenting "the Christians to the Roman authorities," Luke chose to fashion his apology after a literary form with which the Romans were already familiar, one which they could understand and thereby be predisposed to accept: the Greek tragedy.
These two decisions, to deny the Jews and to utilize the Greek tragedy, are, as this paper shall attempt to demonstrate, fundamental to the construction of the Gospel and hence must be dealt with when formulating a theological interpretation. Each question shall be addressed separately and in chronological order: the Judaic literary tradition must first be dismissed before the introduction of the Hellenic.
Among the many purposes of the author of Luke-Acts, one of the most pertinent was "to present Roman authority to Christians, and the Christians to Roman authorities, in the best possible light, in the hope of fostering good relations between them." The presentation of "Roman authority to Christians" was accomplished primarily through the refutation of the Jewish tradition, and the substitution of the Romans as both the legitimate political rulers and as the equally intended, more receptive recipients of the 'good news.' Toward this end, Luke portrays Romans throughout his narrative as being sympathetic or, at least, non-antagonistic. For example, the words, "this man was innocent," are voiced in Luke by a Roman centurion. This declaration may be contrasted with that of Matthew and of Mark, who both use the statement, "Truly this was the son of God," in the following manner: Matthew has this said by an unspecific "they," and while it is uttered by a lone centurion in Mark, translation defies differentiation between the all-important "the Son," or the more generic, "a son." Luke chooses to avoid this ambiguity altogether and pens a line which is much more in keeping with his tragic tone (see Part II below) by preventing a premature Discovery.
By this rejection of the Jews Luke also sought to emphasize the independence of Christianity as a religion apart from Judaism; as long as Christianity was viewed by the Romans as merely a heretical sect among the Jews, it would be denied the official sanction which would guarantee freedom from persecution.
Christianity thus being severed from the blanket covering Judaism, it became imperative that Roman authorities be swayed as soon as possible towards the opinion that this new religion presented no threat of rebellion against their occupation and deserved their laissez-faire policy. Approaching, then, the problem of presenting "the Christians to the Roman authorities," Luke chose to fashion his apology after a literary form with which the Romans were already familiar, one which they could understand and thereby be predisposed to accept: the Greek tragedy.
These two decisions, to deny the Jews and to utilize the Greek tragedy, are, as this paper shall attempt to demonstrate, fundamental to the construction of the Gospel and hence must be dealt with when formulating a theological interpretation. Each question shall be addressed separately and in chronological order: the Judaic literary tradition must first be dismissed before the introduction of the Hellenic.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Awarding Institution |
|
| Date of Award | Apr 13 1981 |
| State | Submitted - Apr 13 1981 |