Rethinking Luke's Prologue, Part 6
Selections from first and second century sources.
For earlier parts of this series on “Rethinking Luke’s Prologue,” use these links:
Part 1 with Thomas Randolph, Part 2 with Johann L. Hug, Part 3 with Daniel Whitby and George Gleig, Part 4 with John Jones and George Moberly, Part 5 with John Mill, Friedrich Bleek, B.F. Westcott, and Henry Cadbury.
Click here to get a pre-release PDF of Shane’s book Luke’s Key Witness, and here to watch his webinar, “Rethinking Luke’s Prologue,” (exclusively for paid subscribers).
JESUS (c. 30 AD)
“Follow me!” (Mt 8:22, 9:9, 10:38, 16:24, 19:21, 28, Mk 2:14, 8:34, 10:21, Lk 5:27, 9:23, 59, 18:22, Jn 1:43, 8:12, 10:27, 12:27, 13:36, 21:19, 22). Throughtout all four Gospels, Jesus frequently called people to follow him, and the word used in all these passages is ἀκολουθέω. This same word appears over 80 times throughout the New Testament where it is often applied to those who became Jesus’ disciples. This not only included the twelve (Mt 4:20-22, 9:9, Mk 1:18, 2:14, Lk 5:11, 27, Jn 1:40), but many others as well (Mt 4:25, 20:29, 27:55, Mk 2:15, 3:7, 5:24, Lk 9:11, 10:1, 23:27, Jn 6:2). Here it’s worth pointing out that the word ἀκολουθέω is closely related to παρακολουθέω, which appears in verse 3 of Luke’s prologue:
Lk 1:3 ἔδοξεν κἀμοὶ παρηκολουθηκότι ἄνωθεν
“it seemed good also to me, having been a follower from the beginning…”
ακολουθέω: to follow, to become a disciple
παρακολουθέω: to follow alongside, to accompany1
What’s intriguing about Luke’s statement is that he specifically claims to have been a follower from the beginning” (ἄνωθεν). Here we should recall that throughout the Gospels, references to “the beginning” in contexts like this typically refer to the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry:
Mk 1:1 “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ…”2
Lk 1:2 “those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses…”3
Jn 15:27 “You will also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.”4
Acts 1:21-22 “Of the men therefore who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John…of these one must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
Acts 10:36-37 “The word [about Jesus]…which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached…”
1John 1:1 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands…”
Thus, I believe Luke’s use of the words παρηκολουθηκότι ἄνωθεν should be interpreted in this same light. Luke was qualified to testify of Jesus (in narrative form), because he too had been a follower from the beginning. This interpretation is strengthened by the fact that in his opening verse, he spoke of the things Jesus “fulfilled among us” (ἐν ἡμῖν). By his use of the 1st person plural, Luke included himself as one who had witnessed Jesus’ fulfillment of many OT promises.5 Notice the way this phrase is used in other parts of the New Testament:
Jn 1:1 “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory…”6
Lk 7:16 Speaking of Jesus, people say, “A great prophet has arisen among us!”7
Acts 1:17 Judas “was numbered among us, and received his portion...”8
Acts 2:22 “Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.”9
Acts 2:29 Peter says that David’s tomb “is among us to this day.”10
Thus, when Luke’s use of the phrase ἐν ἡμῖν in his opening verse is read in light of his claim in verse 3 (παρηκολουθηκότι ἄνωθεν), a very strong case can be made in favor of identifying the author as a first-hand witness of Jesus.
JOHN THE ELDER (c. 80 AD)
According to a second century writer named Papias, John the Elder used to say this: “Mark, having become Peter’s interpreter, wrote down accurately everything he remembered, though not in order, of the things either said or done by Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor followed him (παρηκολούθησεν) but afterward, as I said, followed Peter, who adapted his teachings as needed” (Eusebius, H.E. 3.39.15).
Though Papias recorded these words in the early second century, Richard Bauckham has frequently pointed out that his recollection dates back to the late first century—likely sometime around 80 AD. What’s important to highlight, however, is the fact that in this quotation, John the Elder specifically applied the word παρακολουθέω to Mark the Evangelist, insisting that he had not been a follower of Jesus, but that he had only been a follower of Peter sometime at a later period. But the meaning of παρακολουθέω in this context is clear. Mark was a follower of Peter and thus, a first-hand witness of his preaching.
But at this point we should stop to consider the fact that no one has ever translated the word παρακολουθέω in the above passage to the effect that Mark should be thought of as one who merely investigated or inquired about Peter’s teaching. Curiously, however, this is the way most NT scholars think of Luke’s approach, even the same word is never rendered in this same way in this passage about Mark.11 At the very least, therefore, this should help us to see that Luke’ words can be interpreted differently.12 It is a perfectly legitimage option to translate παρηκολουθηκότι ἄνωθεν as indicating that Luke had been a literal follower of Jesus from the beginning.
PAPIAS (c. 120 AD)
In the following passage recorded by Papias, we find another use of the verb παρακολουθέω, this time in the form of a participle (similar to Luke’s construction):
“And if by chance someone who had been a follower (παρηκολουθηκώς) of the elders should come my way, I inquired (ἀνέκρινον) about the words of the elders—what Andrew or Peter said, or Philip or Thomas or James or John or Matthew or any other of the Lord’s disciples, and whatever Aristion and the elder John, the Lord’s disciples, were saying. For I did not think that information from books would profit me as much as information from a living and abiding voice” (Eusebius, H.E. 3.39.4).
In the above passage, Papias indicates that he gained his knowledge about the teachings of the elders by inquiring about their views. But the verb παρακολουθέω does not refer in this sentence to Papias’ process of inquiry; rather, it specifically refers to those individuals who were literal followers of the elders. Again, this should invite us to question the standard interpretation of Luke’s prologue. As I see it, the author isn’t claiming to have researched or investigated anything—he’s claiming to have been a follower of Jesus from the beginning.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
Rethinking Luke’s Prologue, Part 1, Thomas Randolph
Rethinking Luke’s Prologue, Part 2, Johann L. Hug
Rethinking Luke’s Prologue, Part 3, Daniel Whitby and George Gleig
Rethinking Luke’s Prologue, Part 4 with John Jones and George Moberly,
Rethinking Luke’s Prologue, Part 5 with Mill, Bleek, Westcott and Cadbury
Luke’s Key Witness: A Positive Review, Clyde Billington
Things Completely Fulfilled Among Us, Shane Rosenthal
His Excellency, The High Priest, Shane Rosenthal
The Implications of 70 AD on the Date of the Gospels & Acts, Shane Rosenthal
A Pre-70 Date for the Gospels & Acts, Shane Rosenthal
Outside the Gospels, What Can We Really Know About Jesus?, Shane Rosenthal
Is Luke a Trustworthy Historian?, Sir William Ramsay
Can We Trust Luke’s History of the Early Jesus Movement? Shane Rosenthal
On Faith & History, Shane Rosenthal
AUDIO
Who is Theophilus? Humble Skeptic #79 with Peter. Bolt
Luke, Theophilus & Joanna, Humble Skeptic #80 with Jim Sibley
A Forensic Approach to the Gospels, Humble Skeptic #81 with J. Warner Wallace
Why The Gospel Holds Up as History, Faith Lab with Craig Keener
Lazarus, Humble Skeptic #84 with Richard Bauckham & T.C. Schmidt
VIDEO
Rethinking Luke’s Prologue: A Webinar by Shane Rosenthal for Paid Subscribers
The recently published Cambridge Greek Lexicon (2021) features a variety of definitions of παρακολουθέω, such as “to follow,” “to attend closely,” “to follow attentively,” etc., but nowhere connects this word to the idea of investigation.
Whereas Matthew, Luke and John include additional material about Jesus’ origins, Mark opens his narrative with Jesus’ public ministry, and calls it “the beginning.”
Some argue that Luke is exclusively dependent on the eyewitnesses cited in verse 2, but if he is claiming to have been a follower of Jesus from the beginning, verse 3 should be seen as a parallel, rather than dependent, clause.
According to Jesus, those who were called to testify about him should be those who were with him from the beginning, and this is the rule that seems to have been applied in the selection of a replacement for Judas in Acts 1:21-22. This latter passage makes clear that there were many others apart from the twelve who had also been with Jesus from the beginning. The fact that Luke highlights this for his readers in the opening chapter of Acts helps us to understand his meaning in the opening verses of his Gospel.
This is precicely how Jesus comforted John the Baptist in the midst of his doubt: “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them” (Lk 7:22). Therefore, in his response to John’s question, Jesus tells the two disciples to tell John what they have seen with their own eyes, and in his words allude to the promises of Isaiah 35 and other OT texts. In short, the promises have been fulfilled, and have been confirmed for John by these two witnesses.
Many NT scholars highlight this verse as an example of John’s claim to be an eyewitness, which is further supported by verses such as Jn 2:11, 19:34-35, 21:24, 1Jn 1:1-3, etc.
These witnesses are reporting what they have collectively seen with their own eyes. Since this was narrated by Luke, this passage could help us to understand what the author means by the use of the phrase ἐν ἡμῖν in his opening verse.
Peter is the one speaking, and as a member of the twelve, he is naturally including himself in his use of the phrase ἐν ἡμῖν.
Here the phrase is slightly longer. Instead of ἐν ἡμῖν, this phrase reads, ἐν μέσῳ ὑμῶν.
This passage has an important geographic dimension. The speech was delivered in Jerusalem, and the tomb is still ἐν ἡμῖν to this very day. This is also true of Peter’s sermon in Caesarea: “[Y]ou yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how [Jesus] went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we (ἡμεῖς) are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem” (Acts 10:37-39). Perhaps Luke’s use of the phrase ἐν ἡμῖν has similar connotations. If so, perhaps this would explain how and why Theophilus had already been informed about Jesus (Lk 1:3).
Luke and Papias not only use the same verb, but they both use the perfect active participle. Whereas Luke uses the dative form (παρηκολουθηκότι), Papius uses the nominative (παρηκολουθηκώς).
In a future post, I’ll interact with a number of contemporary scholars who have recently argued that παρακολουθέω does NOT refer to “investigation.”