Dining with Pharisees

by J. Patrick Mullen, Barbara Green

Were the Pharisees unfairly portrayed in the New Testament? What would a wider reading of Luke's Gospel reveal? To begin dialoguing with these questions, J. Patrick Mullen focuses on Simon, the Pharisee of Luke 7:36-50, to study and redeem" the Pharisees of early Judaism. With two methodologies, redactional and anthropological, Mullen discusses these questions and analyzes the Pharisaic movement and first-century Judaism by placing the issues within cultural context. Other topics that arise are the fractures between the Christian and Jewish communities, the development of tradition, and the issues of comparing the various Gospels, especially Luke and Mark. To arrive at a unified reading of Luke, Mullen studies how Luke combines various sources to create a thematic focus and uniquely Lukan portrayal of Jesus. Posing and resolving questions, Dining with Pharisees will help bring readers and students to a deeper understanding of the early Jewish and Christian faith communities. J. Patrick Mullen, PhD, is assistant professor of biblical studies, New Testament, and associate director of pastoral formation/field education at St. John's Seminary, Camarillo, California. This book is part of the series Interfaces."

160 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2004

Reviews

[David Szatkowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

The end date is wrong by a week. I read this slowly, which allowed me to digest it. This is quite good,and it opens up new ways to see Luke, Luke 7, and the characters in the story.