The Saving Cross of the Suffering Christ: The Death of Jesus in Lukan Soteriology

Description

What is the place of the cross in the thought of the third evangelist? This book seeks to show the central significance of the death of Jesus for Luke's understanding of (1) how salvation is accomplished and (2) what it means for Jesus to be the messiah. Whereas previous authors have helpfully attended to individual motifs within Luke's account of the passion, this book takes more of a wide-angle approach to the topic, moving from the very first allusions to Jesus' rejection at the beginning of Luke's gospel all the way through to the retrospective references to Jesus' death that occur throughout the speeches of Acts. By focusing on the inter-relationship of the various parts that form the whole of the Lukan portrayal of Jesus' death, Wilson proposes fresh solutions to several of the intractable exegetical disputes related to the place of the cross in Lukan theology, thereby helping to situate Lukan soteriology within the broader context of Jewish and Christian belief and practice in the first century. Contents Preface Citations and Abbreviations Chapter 1. Introduction and History of Research I. Introduction II. History of Research 1. Minimalist Perspectives on the Death of Jesus in Luke-Acts 2. Competing Paradigms for Understanding the Lukan Passion 3. Evidence Used in Maximalist Appraisals of the Lukan Cross III. The Present Analysis Chapter 2. The Passion before the Passion: Anticipatory Allusions to Jesus’ Fate of Rejection, Suffering, and Death I. Introduction II. The Divine Necessity of the Death of Jesus within his Christological Vocation 1. Simeon’s Oracle (Luke 2:29–35) 2. Rejection at Nazareth (Luke 4:16–30) 3. First Passion Prediction (Luke 9:21–22) 4. Second Passion Prediction (Luke 9:44–45) 5. An Impending Baptism (Luke 12:49–50) 6. Third Passion Prediction (Luke 18:31–34) 7. Luke 13:31–35 and 17:25 8. Summary III. The Ignorance of the Disciples and Omission of the Ransom Saying 1. The Disciples’ Ignorance Prior to the Resurrection Appearances 2. The Resolution of the Disciples’ Ignorance in Luke 24 3. Luke’s Omission of the Ransom Saying IV. Conclusion Chapter 3. The Lukan Last Supper: Text and Interpretation I. Introduction II. The Text of Luke 22:15–20 1. Addressing Arguments in Support of the Short Form of the Text 2. Summary III. Interpretation of Luke 22:15–20 1. Strands of Biblical Tradition in the Lukan Last Supper 2. The Meaning Assigned to Jesus’ Death 3. Tradition and Lukan Thought IV. Conclusion Chapter 4. The Passion Narrative within its Lukan Framework I. Introduction II. Jesus’ Christological Vocation in the Passion Narrative 1. The Quotation of Isa 53:12 in Luke 22:37 2. “This Cup” and Jesus’ Prayer at the Mount of Olives (Luke 22:39–46) 3. The Examination before the Sanhedrin (Luke 22:66–71) 4. The Mockery of Jesus at the Cross (Luke 23:35–39) 5. Jesus’ Prayer from the Cross (Luke 23:46) 6. Summary III. The Soteriological Significance of Jesus’ Death in the Passion Narrative 1. The Innocence of Jesus and the Barabbas Exchange (Luke 23:18–25) 2. Jesus’ Prayer of Forgiveness (Luke 23:34a) 3. The Salvation of the Penitent Criminal (Luke 23:35–43) 4. The Darkness and the Temple Veil (Luke 23:44–45) 5. The Centurion’s Declaration (Luke 23:47) 6. Summary IV. Conclusion Chapter 5. The Death of Jesus Proclaimed I. Introduction II. Scripture and the Apostolic Proclamation of the Cross 1. The Law of Moses 2. The Prophets 3. The Psalms 4. Summary III. Acts 20:28 1. Text of Acts 20:28 2. Interpretation of Acts 20:28 IV. Conclusion Chapter 6. The Pattern of Proclamation within a Jewish Context I. Introduction II. Repentance, Divine Forgiveness, and Atonement within Judaism 1. The Priestly Pattern of Religion 2. The Centrality of Cultic Conceptions within Early Judaism 3. Possible Indications of Anti-Cultic Conceptions of Worship within Jewish Tradition 4. Summary III. The Pattern of Proclamation in Luke-Acts 1. Luke’s Attitude toward the Institutions of Judaism 2. The Post-Resurrection Kerygma in Luke-Acts IV. Conclusion Chapter 7. Conclusion Appendix 1. Pre-Passion References to Jesus’ Death & Synoptic Parallels Appendix 2. Retrospective References to the Passion in Acts Bibliography Subject index