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Luke's Jesus: Between Incarnation and Crucifixion
The third evangelist tells the story of Jesus in clear, dramatically compelling, and humanly moving terms. His Jesus is a man of great power, a deep sense of mission, and profound compassion for those on the outskirts of society. And Luke's Gospel has the best stories--that is, parables--including a number that are unique to him. Luke's story fills in the gap between "born of the virgin Mary" and "suffered under Pontius Pilate" in the Apostles' Creed. While it is usually important for those who write biography to report how the lives of their subjects began and ended, Luke's story of Jesus's birth differs from Matthew's version, and the conclusion to Luke's account of Jesus's life ends neither with his death nor with his resurrection but with his being taken up from the earth to the heavens. The Gospel of Luke is historical in its approach, for which there are no a historical reading follows necessarily from the Christian doctrine of the incarnation, which teaches that God has entered the history of humanity through Jesus. At the same time, Luke's approach is together with the other evangelists, Luke intends to show his readers that in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, God has drawn near to humanity in an inexpressible and unique way.
114 pages, Paperback
Published October 12, 2021
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December 13, 2021
In his book Luke’s Jesus: Between Incarnation and Crucifixion, Joseph Blenkinsopp offers a “commentary” of sorts on the third Gospel, albeit one with a thematic rather than verse-by-verse framework. This approach leads to vignette like analyses of aspects of Jesus’s social location, miraculous deeds, and teachings.
Although this work reviews Luke’s portrayal of the ministry of Jesus at a broad level, Blenkinsopp chooses to focus specifically on such themes as Lukan perspectives on God and Jesus’s teachings concerning wealth and poverty. He also draws attention to the use of antitheses in the Lukan versions of Jesus’s teachings, which emphasize the wealth/poverty theme (especially in the Sermon on the Plain). Furthermore, two of the book’s ten chapters are also dedicated to analyses of parables that address the perils of wealth.
These themes are prominent areas of discussion in critical literature about Luke-Acts, and so some readers might find that they are quite familiar with such discussions from other works. Of course, Blenkinsopp stresses at the outset of his book that it is not targeted towards academics, but rather non-scholars seeking theological wisdom from the third Gospel. Such intended readers are likely far less familiar with these themes than those who have read widely in Luke-Acts scholarship. As a result of his focus, readers should expect minimal engagement in technical issues such as debates over authorship, composition date, textual criticism, synoptic parallels, and the nuances of Greek grammar. The book also adopts a somewhat conversational tone and approachable structure, and at a mere 110 pages should be accessible to most interested readers.
Blenkinsopp’s background as an Old Testament scholar shows throughout the book via frequent references to that corpus as well as Second Temple era Jewish literature. In keeping with his stated ideal audience, many of these references are used to provide general pictures of Jesus’s cultural setting rather than to dive into deep nuances. This approach is especially welcome in the sixth chapter, which discusses Luke’s infancy narratives and the early portions of Jesus’s ministry. However, there is surprisingly little discussion of the various forms of messianic expectation that were present during the first century and how Jesus’s apparent self-conception as “Messiah” was informed by his own reading of the Scriptures.
Through this book, Blenkinsopp has provided a decent, short, and approachable primer on the Gospel of Luke. Ideally such a resource would be well-suited for undergraduate level students and general readers. Although the book lacks anything that might be considered groundbreaking, the author’s thematic overviews and brief bits of exegesis are well done, and his occasional references to cultural and literary backgrounds may be a good way to introduce such topics without overwhelming students and laity. Furthermore, Blenkinsopp’s attention to the third Gospel’s focus on wealth and poverty is appreciated as these topics are woefully under addressed in many North American evangelical churches. Other introductory volumes for studies of Luke are more likely to be recommended as my “go-to” options (I would personally recommend that folks check out summaries of the Gospels in general such as Richard Hays’ “Reading Backwards: Figural Christology and the Fourfold Witness” and then move on to a commentary), but this work remains an enjoyable and easy read.
Although this work reviews Luke’s portrayal of the ministry of Jesus at a broad level, Blenkinsopp chooses to focus specifically on such themes as Lukan perspectives on God and Jesus’s teachings concerning wealth and poverty. He also draws attention to the use of antitheses in the Lukan versions of Jesus’s teachings, which emphasize the wealth/poverty theme (especially in the Sermon on the Plain). Furthermore, two of the book’s ten chapters are also dedicated to analyses of parables that address the perils of wealth.
These themes are prominent areas of discussion in critical literature about Luke-Acts, and so some readers might find that they are quite familiar with such discussions from other works. Of course, Blenkinsopp stresses at the outset of his book that it is not targeted towards academics, but rather non-scholars seeking theological wisdom from the third Gospel. Such intended readers are likely far less familiar with these themes than those who have read widely in Luke-Acts scholarship. As a result of his focus, readers should expect minimal engagement in technical issues such as debates over authorship, composition date, textual criticism, synoptic parallels, and the nuances of Greek grammar. The book also adopts a somewhat conversational tone and approachable structure, and at a mere 110 pages should be accessible to most interested readers.
Blenkinsopp’s background as an Old Testament scholar shows throughout the book via frequent references to that corpus as well as Second Temple era Jewish literature. In keeping with his stated ideal audience, many of these references are used to provide general pictures of Jesus’s cultural setting rather than to dive into deep nuances. This approach is especially welcome in the sixth chapter, which discusses Luke’s infancy narratives and the early portions of Jesus’s ministry. However, there is surprisingly little discussion of the various forms of messianic expectation that were present during the first century and how Jesus’s apparent self-conception as “Messiah” was informed by his own reading of the Scriptures.
Through this book, Blenkinsopp has provided a decent, short, and approachable primer on the Gospel of Luke. Ideally such a resource would be well-suited for undergraduate level students and general readers. Although the book lacks anything that might be considered groundbreaking, the author’s thematic overviews and brief bits of exegesis are well done, and his occasional references to cultural and literary backgrounds may be a good way to introduce such topics without overwhelming students and laity. Furthermore, Blenkinsopp’s attention to the third Gospel’s focus on wealth and poverty is appreciated as these topics are woefully under addressed in many North American evangelical churches. Other introductory volumes for studies of Luke are more likely to be recommended as my “go-to” options (I would personally recommend that folks check out summaries of the Gospels in general such as Richard Hays’ “Reading Backwards: Figural Christology and the Fourfold Witness” and then move on to a commentary), but this work remains an enjoyable and easy read.
November 29, 2024
A good refresher as we begin the year of Luke this Advent.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews