Rethinking the Prologue of Luke's Gospel
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According to most NT scholars, Luke was not in Judea during Jesus’ lifetime. In this view, his Gospel isn’t a record of things he personally witnessed, but instead should be seen as a narrative he compiled decades later, after consulting with some of the key witnesses of Jesus’ life and teaching. Though it’s certainly true that Luke calls attention to the testimony of various eyewitnesses, it’s important to note that nowhere in his prologue does he indicate that he was exclusively dependent on the information provided by these other witnesses. In fact, in his opening verse, Luke specifically refers to “the things that have been fulfilled among us.”
So, what are the implications of these words? In using the first person plural, was Luke including himself as a member of the group among whom Jesus fulfilled all the OT promises about the coming Messiah? Do they imply that he, too, was a witness of Jesus during his three-year ministry? What other important clues can be found by taking a deep dive into the opening verses of Luke’s Gospel? Watch the video.
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Luke, Theophilus & Joanna
In a chapter he wrote for the Handbook on the Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith, Jim Sibley argued that Luke’s Theophilus was likely a Jewish high priest. In fact, he says this Theophilus may have …