The Writings of Luke and the Jewish Roots of the Christian Way: An Examination of the Aims of the First Christian Historian in the Light of Ancient Politics, Ethnography, and Historiography

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J. Andrew Cowan challenges the popular theory that Luke sought to boost the cultural status of the early Christian movement by emphasising its Jewish roots – associating the new church with an ancient and therefore respected heritage. Cowan instead argues that Luke draws upon the traditions of the Old Testament and its supporting texts as a reassurance to Christians, promising that Jesus’ life, his works and the church that follow legitimately provide fulfilment of God’s salvific plan. Cowan’s argument compares Luke’s writings to two near-contemporaries, Dionysius of Halicarnassus and T. Flavius Josephus, both of whom emphasized the ancient heritage of a people with cultural or political aims in view, exploring how the writings of Luke do not reflect the same cultural values or pursue the same ends. Challenging assumptions on Luke’s supposed attempts to assuage political concerns, capitalize on antiquity, and present Christianity as an inner-Jewish sect, Cowan counters with arguments for Luke being critical of over-valuing tradition and defining the Jewish people as resistant to God and His messages. Cowan concludes with the argument that the apostle does not strive for legitimisation of the new church by previous cultural standards, but instead provides theological reassurance to Christians that God’s plan has been fulfilled, with implications for broader debate. Cover Series Title Copyright Dedication Contents Acknowledgments Note on Translation List of Abbreviations Chapter 1 THE OLD IS GOOD? THE WRITINGS OF LUKE AND THE CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT’S JEWISH ROOTS IN RECENT SCHOLARSHIP 1.1 The Origin and Varieties of the Antiquity Proposal 1.2 Criticisms of the Antiquity Proposal 1.3 The Plan and Argument of This Study 1.4 Preliminary Qualifications Chapter 2 DIONYSIUS OF HALICARNASSUS AND THE ANCIENT GREEK ROOTS OF THE ROMAN PEOPLE 2.1 The Ancient Greek Ancestry of the First Romans 2.1.1 The Aborigines 2.1.2 The Pelasgians 2.1.3 Evander and the Arcadians 2.1.4 The Expedition of Hercules 2.1.5 Aeneas and the Trojans 2.1.6 Conclusion 2.2 The Greek Culture of Rome 2.2.1 The Romans’ Greek Customs 2.2.2 The Romans’ Greek Laws 2.2.3 The Romans’ Greek Religious Practices 2.2.4 Conclusion 2.3 The Superior Virtue of Rome 2.3.1 The Superiority of Rome’s Constitution and Laws 2.3.2 The Superior Virtue of Rome in Action 2.3.3 Conclusion 2.4 Conclusion Chapter 3 JOSEPHUS AND THE ANTIQUITY OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE 3.1 The Antiquity of the Jewish People 3.1.1 Josephus’s Concern with the Issue of Antiquity 3.1.2 Josephus’s Arguments and Aims in Emphasizing Jewish Antiquity 3.1.3 Conclusion 3.2 The Noble Origins of the Jewish People 3.2.1 Josephus’s Arguments for the Nobility of Jewish Origins 3.2.2 Josephus’s Employment of Greco-Roman Categories in Depicting Jewish Origins 3.2.3 Conclusion 3.3 The Superiority of the Jewish Constitution 3.3.1 The Centrality of the Jewish Laws in Antiquitates judaicae 3.3.2 Josephus’s Arguments for the Quality of the Jewish Laws 3.3.3 Josephus’s Employment of Greco-Roman Categories in Depicting the Jewish Laws 3.3.4 Conclusion 3.4 The Virtue of the Jewish People 3.4.1 Josephus’s Presentation of the Virtue of the Jewish People 3.4.2 Josephus’s Eff orts to Combat Negative Images of the Jewish People 3.4.3 Conclusion 3.5 Rome’s Support for the Jewish People 3.5.1 The Nature of Jewish–Roman Relations in Antiquitates judaicae 3.5.2 Josephus’s Minimization of Roman Opposition 3.5.3 Josephus’s Use of the Acta pro Iudaeis 3.5.4 Conclusion 3.6 Conclusion Chapter 4 THE WRITINGS OF LUKE AND THE JEWISH ROOTS OF THE EARLY CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT 4.1 The Christian Movement, the Jewish People, and Rome 4.1.1 Josephus’s Political Argument and the Writings of Luke 4.1.2 The Significance of Paul’s Trials in Light of the Charges Leveled against Him 4.1.3 The Authorities and Christian Activity among the Gentiles in Acts 4.1.4 The Purpose of Trials in Acts and the Words of Jesus in Luke 4.1.5 Conclusion 4.2 The Antiquity of Israel and the Newness of the Christian Movement 4.2.1 The Writings of Luke and the Arguments for Antiquity in Dionysius and Josephus 4.2.2 The Writings of Luke and the Newness of the Christian Movement 4.2.3 Conclusion 4.3 The History of the Jewish People 4.3.1 The Jewish Law in the Writings of Luke 4.3.2 Luke’s View of the History of the Jewish People 4.3.3 Conclusion 4.4 The Christian Movement and Its Jewish Roots 4.4.1 The Writings of Luke and Dionysius’s Legitimation of the Romans as Greek 4.4.2 Luke’s Writings and Josephus’s Jewish Schools of Philosophy 4.4.3 The Purpose of Continuity in Luke’s Writings 4.4.4 Conclusion 4.5 Conclusion Chapter 5 CONCLUSION 5.1 Summary of the Argument 5.2 Significance and Implications Bibliography Modern Author Index Biblical and Other Ancient Sources Index