This study examines how the relationships between Luke's Gospel and other extant literary works shape the Gospel's narrative point of view. It discusses and evaluates the major proposals for identifying the genre of Luke-Acts and shows that none of the proposed genres alone can account for the all the major literary characteristics of the Gospel. The second section considers how the genre characteristics of Gospel, Hellenistic historical/biographical narrative, and biblical narrative each convey elements of the ideological, spatial/temporal and psychological aspects of point of view of Luke's Gospel.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Aune, D.E.1988. Greco-Roman Biography. Pp 107-26 in Greco-Roman Literature and the New Testament, edited by D. E. Aune.Atlanta, GA: Scholars Press . 1987. The New Testament in Its Literary Environment. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster.
2.
Barr, D., & J. Wentling.1984. "The Conventions of Classical Biography and the Genre of Luke-Acts." Pp 63-88 in Luke-Acts: New Perspectives from the SBL Seminar, edited by C. H. Talbert.New York, NY: Crossroad Books .
3.
Berlin, A.1994. Poetics and Interpretation of Biblical Narrative . Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns .
4.
Bonz, M.P.2000. The Past as Legacy: Luke-Acts and Ancient Epic . Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress .
5.
Brodie, T.L.1986. "Towards Unraveling Luke's Use of the Old Testament: Luke 7:11-17 as an Imitatio of 1 Kings 17:17-24." New Testament Studies32: 247-67. 1984. " Greco-Roman Imitation of Texts as a Partial Guide to Luke's Use of Sources ." Pp. 17-46 in Luke-Acts: New Perspectives from the SBL Seminar, edited by C. H. Talbert. New York, NY: Crossroad Books.
6.
Bultmann, R.1963. The History of the Synoptic Tradition (rev. ed.) . New York, NY: Harper & Row .
7.
Burridge, R.A.1992. What Are the Gospels? A Comparison with Graeco-Roman Biography. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
8.
Chatman, S.1978. Story and Discourse: Narrative Structure in Fiction and Film. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
9.
Collins, A.Y.1995. "Genre and the Gospels." Journal of Religion75: 239-46.
10.
Dahl, N.1976. "The Purpose of Luke-Acts." Pp 87-98 in Jesus in the Memory of the Early Church. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg.
11.
Drury, J.1976. Tradition and Design in Luke's Gospel: A Study in Early Christian Historiography. Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press.
12.
Dubrow, H.1982. Genre. London, UK: Methuen.
13.
Evans, C.A., & J.A. Sanders.1993. "Gospel and Midrash: An Introduction to Luke and Scripture." Pp 1-13 in Luke and Scripture: The Function of Sacred Tradition in Luke-Acts, edited by C. A. Evans & J. A. Sanders.Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
14.
Evans, C.A.1987. "Luke's Use of the Elijah/Elisha Narratives and the Ethic of Election." Journal of Bible and Literature106: 75-84.
15.
Fitzmyer, J.A.1992 "The Use of the Old Testament in Luke- Acts." Society of Biblical Literature Abstracts and Seminar Papers31: 524-38. 1981. The Gospel according to Luke I-IX. Anchor Bible. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
16.
Franklin, E.1975. Christ the Lord: A Study in the Purpose and Theology of Luke-Acts. London, UK: SPCK.
17.
Frein, B.C.1994. "Narrative Predictions, Old Testament Prophecies and Luke's Sense of Fulfillment." New Testament Studies40: 22-37. 1993 "The Literary and Theological Significance of Misunderstanding in the Gospel of Luke." Biblica74:328-348.
18.
Guelich, R.1983. "The Gospel Genre" Pp. 183-219 in Das Evangelium und die Evangelien." Vörtrage vom Tübinger Symposium 1982, edited by P. Stuhlmacher. Tübingen, Germany: J C B Mohr (Paul Siebeck).
19.
Hastings, A.1958. Prophet and Witness in Jerusalem. Baltimore, MD: Helicon.
20.
Jauss, H.R.1974 "Literary History as a Challenge to Literary Theory ." Pp. 11-41 in New Directions in Literary History, edited by R. Cohen.Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins.
21.
Johnson, L.T.1991. The Gospel of Luke. Sacra Pagina. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press.
22.
Kent, T.1983. "The Classification of Genres." Genre16: 1-20.
23.
Kingsbury, J.D.1991. Conflict in Luke. Minneapolis, MN, Fortress Press.
24.
Kline, M.G.1975. "The Old Testament Origins of the Gospel Genre ." Westminster Theological Journal38: 1-27.
25.
Kurz, W.1980. "Luke-Acts and Historiography in the Greek Bible ." Society of Biblical Literature Abstracts and Seminar Papers19: 283-300.
Moessner, D.P.1989. The Lord of the Banquet: The Literary and Theological Significance of the Lukan Travel Narrative. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press. 1988. And Once Again, What Sort of `Essence'?: A Response to Charles Talbert."Semeia43: 75-84.
28.
Moore, S.1989. Literary Criticism and the Gospels: The Theoretical Challenge . New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
29.
O'Toole, R.F.1984. The Unity of Luke's Theology: An Analysis of Luke-Acts . Wilmington, DE: Glazier. 1983. "Parallels between Jesus and His Disciples in Luke-Acts: A Further Study." Biblische Zeitschrift27: 195-212.
30.
Pervo, R.I.1989. "Must Luke and Acts Belong to the Same Genre?" Society of Biblical Literature Abstracts and Seminar Papers28: 309-16.
31.
Praeder, S.M.1981. "Luke-Acts and the Ancient Novel." Society of Biblical Literature Abstracts and Seminar Papers20: 269-89.
32.
Prince, G.1982. Narratology: The Form and Functioning of Narrative . New York, NY/Berlin, Germany: Mouton.
33.
Resseguie, J.1982. "Point of View in the Central Section of Luke (9:51-19:44) ." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society25: 41-47.
34.
Rhoads, D., J. Dewey, & D. Michie.1999. Mark as Story: An Introduction to the Narrative of a Gospel. 2nd edition. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
35.
Schmidt. D.1999. "Rhetorical Influences and Genre: Luke's Preface and the Rhetoric of Hellenistic Historiography." Pp. 27-60 in Jesus and the Heritage of Israel: Luke's Narrative Claim upon Israel's Legacy, edited by D. P. Moessner and D. L. Tiede.Harrisburg, PA: Trinity .
36.
Schubert, P.S.1954. "The Structure and Significance of Luke 24." Pp. 165-86 in Neutestamentliche Studien für Rudolf Bultmann, edited by W. Eltester.Berlin: Töpelmann.
37.
Smith, D.M.1992. "John and the Synoptics and the Questions of Gospel Genre in The Four Gospels." Pp. 1783-97 in Fs. Frans Neirynck, edited by F. van Stegbroeck, et. al. Leuven, Belgium: Leuven University Press/ Peeters.
38.
Sterling, G.1992. "Historiography and Self-Definition: Josephos, Luke-Acts, and Apologetic Historiography." Novum Tesamentum Supplements64. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill . 1989. "Luke-Acts and Apologetic Historiography ." Society of Biblical Literature Abstracts and Seminar Papers28: 331-42.
39.
Talbert, C.H., 1988. "Once Again: Gospel Genre." Semeia43: 53-73. 1984. "Promise and Fulfillment in Luke-Acts." Pp 91-103 in Luke-Acts: New Perspectives from the Society of Biblical Literature Seminar. New York, NY: Crossroad Books. 1977 . What Is a Gospel: The Genre of the Canonical Gospels . Philadelphiam PA: Fortress Press .
40.
Tannehill, R.C.1986. The Narrative Unity of Luke-Acts: A Literary Interpretation . Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press .
41.
Thatcher, T.1994. "The Gospel Genre: What are we After?" Restoration Quarterly36: 129-38.
42.
Tolbert, M.A.1989. Sowing the Gospel: Mark's W orld in Literary Historical Perspective. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
43.
Uspensky, B.1973. The Poetics of Composition. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
44.
Votaw, C.H.1970. The Gospels and Contemporary Biographics in the Greco-Roman World. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press; originally published in the American Journal of Theology19 [1915]: 45-73.
45.
Wills, L.1997. The Quest for the Historical Gospel Genre: Mark, John, and the Origins of the Gospel Genre. London, UK: Routledge.
