Download Luke - Historian And Theologian/ P.d.l. ePub

I was assigned this book for a Luke-Acts seminary taught by Darrell Bock. I found it easy to read, and learned not just about Luke but also historical-critical exegesis from a conservative standpoint as well. This book also does a good job of comparing/contrasting Luke's distinct theological focuses and in the process you will learn much about the other gospels as well.

Highly recommended for all students of Luke-Acts, Gospels, and NT Biblical Studies.

Another useful treatment of scripture from this British scholar.

Excellent is my only response!!!

Slightly repetitive. Long. Type is too small. But very informative--which is why I bought it.

Also the binding is very poor. Before I finished reading it the first time a couple pages were falling out. Very poor binding and printing, yet an informative read.

The book arrived on time and it was what I needed. Great book.

A lot of water has gone over the dam since this book was first published in 1970. Most recently in 2006 the third edition was again reprinted. A total of thirty-seven printings of this book in its three editions have been produced. This is a remarkable tribute to the value seen in this work by scholars and other readers. It was but Marshall's second book and written very early in his distinguished career. However, it represents a seminal point in English language works on Luke-Acts. Early on from F. C. Baur to the late nineteenth century, German scholarship saw the Lucan corpus as late anti-Marcionite apologetics having little to no historical value. Early in the twentieth century with the exception of Harnack and a few others, this trend continued. With the introduction of form criticism, the theology of Luke-Acts was treated as a distortion in favor of the early Catholic Church. Ultimately, Rudolph Bultmann relegated the Lucan corpus to the realm of sacral fiction. Shortly after World War II, German scholarship on the topic began to evolve away from those positions. It is with this later material that Marshall particularly engages. He deals most especially with the work of Hans Conzelmann for whom he has enormous respect. Regardless of this esteem for Conzelmann, Marshall is willing to disagree with him and offer different insights. Also engaged by the author are Martin Debelius, Ernst Heanchen, Ernst Kassemann, and Werner G. Kummel among many others. While mindful of this prior scholarship, Marshall goes on to build on their work while presenting his own clear vision on both the theology and historicity of Luke-Acts.

The book is divided into five chapters and a short conclusion. Realistically, the work covers three topics. The first is the writing of history new and ancient. This includes detailed methodological discussions especially as it pertains to the appropriateness of combining history with theology. His well argued conclusion is that Luke should be regarded as a competent ancient historian and that his activities as a theologian in Luke-Acts blend in seamlessly. Luke is not seen as a cut and paste artist. He is an author of talent in his own right. However, while admitting that there are apologetic interests in Luke-Acts, Marshall spends little to no time dealing this aspect of the Lucan corpus. The author finds that Luke constructs his gospel and the Acts as parts of an ongoing "salvation history." While Matthew, for example, deals with matters topically, Luke deals with them in a chronological order. His second topic is the progress of salvation in the gospel. While drawing a rendering of Jesus' life from birth to death to resurrection and assumption, Luke develops his theology of salvation through Jesus as the Son of God. For Luke this is the key to the good news. From ancient times in Israel when salvation meant God's activities to save Israel from its enemies, Luke emphasizes the transition to salvation from sin and death in Jesus. Now revealed, the Son of God is the means of mankind's salvation. His third and final topic is the continuation of "salvation history" in the Acts where God spreads the message through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Here the progression of the "good news" from Jerusalem to Rome is covered with the underlying message that it will be delivered to the ends of the Earth. For Luke, the Holy Spirit is the triumph of Jesus Christ carrying on His message of salvation through the forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life. Ultimately, for Marshall, Luke is the evangelist par excellence. Here, I have only been able to touch on the bare basics of what Marshall tries to accomplish.

Just prior to the publication of this book, the eminent scholar, W. C. van Unick, had described the writings of Luke as the storm center of modern New Testament studies. If that is so, Marshall did nothing but throw gasoline on a raging fire. His radical rehabilitation of Luke as a historian was exceptional at the time of the writing of this book. Marshall was pushing back hard against a stream of scholarship that had prevailed for well over a century. Also, for a young, conservative scholar, he was doing it very effectively and with remarkable erudition. This revisionism was not without responses then and to this day. He was attacked for his dating of Lucan corpus to the last quarter of the first century CE, his regarding the Acts of the Apostles as reliable history especially in comparison with the Pauline epistles, as well as his wholesale skirting of the apologetic interests in Luke-Acts. Those apologetic issues are glaringly apparent and important. Among modern scholars who opt for a late dating of Luke-Acts would be Joseph B. Tyson and Richard I. Pervo. While I do not agree with their arguments, I respect them both and have read any number of their works to my benefit. Of greater gravity is Marshall's avoidance of the evident apologetic interests especially in Acts. It is easy to accuse the evangelist of both distorting or avoiding historical events that would disturb his explication of a tranquil triumph of the gospel throughout the Roman Empire. For example, how does one square Luke's account of the Jerusalem council with that of Paul? And, many, many other matters could be cited which raise questions. Scholars that have pursued this line of thinking include John Painter, and of late most especially David C Sim and Gerd Ludemann. Many others have taken issue with some aspect or aspects of Marshall's work, and to some extent, I believe they are warranted. However, Marshall's book changed the discourse on the historical value of Luke's writings. That alone attests to the significance of this book. Regardless of your own predilections in these matters, do not disregard this book. This is mandatory reading for any student of Christian origins.

Helpful book, well written, thorough, but now somewhat dated. However, for the patient reader, Marshall's remarks provide opportunites for reflection and thought. Good introduction to his commentary on the greek text of Luke's Gospel. For the pastor, helpful resource to have on one's bookshelf.

This is a crucially important book for any serious student of the Gospel of Luke, serving as a perfect guide through A Level / first year degree course. It is also highly accessible to non specialists, and definitely worth the read. I Howard Marshal wrote possible the best commentary on the Gospel of Luke, but that commentary has a refreshingly brief introduction - the intention being (I believe) to publish that introduction separately. The author spells out with crystal clarity the basic contours of Lukan scholarship in a way that is thoroughly readable.