Luke-Acts The Two-Volume Gospel

The Gospel ascribed to Luke is the second of a two volume composition conventionally designated Luke-Acts. The Gospel of Luke (the first volume) tells the story of Jesus by using Mark as his main narrative source and discourse material from “Q” and “L”. Like Matthew, Luke follows the Markan storyline from baptism to burial. But Luke follows Mark even more closely than Matthew, altering Mark’s language only for literary correctness and clarity. Luke-ActsLuke-Acts

Luke omits a substantial portion of Mark’s middle section (Mark 6:45—8:26). Possibly out of a dislike for doublets and a concern for the portrayal of Jesus and the disciples. Luke adds narrative material at the beginning with infancy accounts (chs. 1-2) and at the end with several appearance stories and an account of the ascension (ch. 24). Luke adds a substantial amount of “Q” material (shared with Matthew) and “L” material, most notably, the distinctive Lukan parables. Luke-ActsLuke-Acts

Luke exploits a narrative seam in Mark 9-10 (Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem) and expands it to include the bulk of his discourse material (Luke 9—19). Luke adds a prologue to each of his volumes (Luke 1:1-4 and Acts 1:1-2). Luke-ActsLuke-Acts

The Acts of the Apostles (the second volume) tells the story of the early church, with special attention to Peter (ch, 1—12) and Paul (chs. 13— 28). Luke appears to be the first to undertake this narrative; if he had written sources, they are undetectable. He constructions the narrative similar to Hellenistic historians, using journeys, speeches, and summaries, to write volume 2. Luke-ActsLuke-Acts

Another literary device spanning both volumes is Luke’s use of prophecy. As in the other Gospels, Luke notes the way that the events in history stand in “fulfillment” of prophecies written in Torah, although he avoids Matthew’s formula citations and extends such fulfillment to the events of Acts, as well. More distinctive is the way in which characters in the narrative make statements that are prophetic and that are “fulfilled” by the subsequent events in the narrative. Luke-ActsLuke-Acts

The genre that best fits Luke-Acts as a whole is that of Ancient Historiography, but it is important to recognize the volumes together form “Luke’s Gospel.” The literary implication of the two-volume work is that Acts represents not only an extension but also an interpretation of the first volume. The theological implication is that the story of the church continues the story of Jesus. Luke links them by a variety of means, but most importantly by having the same Holy Spirit at work in Jesus also at work in his followers. Luke-ActsLuke-Acts

Luke uses geography as a way of focusing attention on the critical part of his narrative. The Gospel narrative lends toward the city of Jerusalem (2:22; 2:41-51; 4:9; 9:31, 51;13:22; 19:11, 28). The narrative in Acts moves out from Jerusalem (1:8) but constantly circles back to the city. Luke thereby makes the reader focus on events in Jerusalem that forms the middle of the story (Luke 19-Acts 8). Its is in Jerusalem that Jesus is rejected, raised, exalted, and here, his disciples are empowered to preach and heal in his name. Luke-ActsLuke-Acts

Sometimes, this is a matter of a “self-fulfilling prophecy” within a single incident: Jesus in Nazareth (4:14-19, fulfilled 4:21, Stephen’s Speech-Prophecy (esp. Acts 7:51- 53, fulfilled 7:57 with martyrdom). Sometimes, it is a matter of “programmatic prophecy,” in which a statement governs the direction of the subsequent narrative (Luke24:45-49). Luke also portrays his major characters as prophets in the tradition of Moses. In the Gospel, Jesus is portrayed as a prophet who brings God’s visitation to the people. In Acts, all the protagonists are depicted in prophetic terms. Or by gentiles, as if they ae gods (Acts 14:11). Luke-ActsLuke-Acts

Each of the Synoptic Gospels engages a distinct aspect of the symbolic world of Torah: Mark uses apocalyptic; Matthew, rabbinic; and Luke, prophetic dimensions of contemporary Judaism. Luke-ActsLuke-Acts