This study addresses the genre and interpretation of Luke through Acts in the light of its contemporary social, literary, and ideological milieu, particularly as these elements are reflected in the Latin epics contemporary with Luke-Acts and in their famous Augustan prototype, Virgil's Aeneid. Literary evidence indicating that Virgil's works had been translated into Greek prose by the middle of the first century makes this line of inquiry especially promising. Interpreting Luke-Acts as a prose adaptation of heroic or historical epic provides a hermeneutical model that is both universal in its theological message and essentially popular in its narrative presentation. Beginning with the question of literary occasion, Bonz introduces the particular configuration of historical circumstances that produced the great foundational epics of Gilgamesh, the Iliad and Odyssey, as well as the Aeneid, and suggests that the historical situation for the composition of Luke-Acts was closely analogous in key respects, for example: literary structure, epic journey, divine mission, prophecy, and reversal of destiny.
Marianne Palmer Bonz is the managing editor of Harvard Theological Review and holds a doctorate in New Testament from Harvard Divinity School.
Preface Abbreviations > CURRENT PROBLEMS OF GENRE AND INTERPRETATION IN LUKE-ACTS Double Vision in Twentieth-Century Lukan Studies Historiography vs. "History-Telling": The Great Epics of Antiquity Luke-Acts: A Fundational Epic for the Early Christian Church? THE AENEID: ROME'S SACRED HISTORY Antecedents and Influences Virgil and the Historical Context of the Aeneid Overture: Themes and Structures in Book 1 Prophecy, Journey, and the Divine Mission War and Reversal The Aeneid as a Paradigm and Inspiration for Luke-Acts FIRST-CENTURY ADAPTATIONS OF VIRGILIAN EPIC Promulgating the Myth and Message of the Aeneid From Augustus to Vespasian: Lucan's De Bello Civili Literature and Ideology under Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian Statius's Thebaid: Pessimistic Rejoinder to Virgilian Prophecy Valerius Flaccus's Argonautica: Revising Augustan Eschatology Silius Italicus's Punica: Historical Extension of Virgilian Mythology The Legacy of Latin Epic and Its Relevance for Luke-Acts THE DRAMATIC UNFOLDING OF PROPHECY AND HISTORY IN LUKE-ACTS Luke's Role in the Development of Early Christian Tradition Luke and the Historical Context of Luke-Acts Viewing Luke-Acts from Its Narrative Center: Acts 2 "The House of Israel" and Themes of Division Reversal LUKE-ACTS RECONSIDERED A Suitable Introduction for Literate Greek Prose: Luke 1:1-4 The Dramatic Overture: Luke 1-2 Inauguration of the Mission and Initial Opposition: Luke 3-12 The Judgment of Jerusalem: Luke 13-24 Continuation of the Mission by the Twelve: Acts 1-15 The Witnessing of Paul and the Successful Advancement of the Mission: Acts 16-28 Luke-Acts and the Importance of Genre to Interpretation Luke-Acts: An Epic Presentation of Christian Origins Appendix A: The Aeneid and Its Critical Interpreters Appendix B: The Dating of Valerius Flaccus's Argonautica Appendix C: Stefan Weinstock's Comparative Presentation of the Geographical Lists of Paulus Alexandrinus and Luke (Acts 2:9-11) Sources Works Consulted Index of Ancient Documents
