Soldiers in Luke-Acts: Engaging, Contradicting, and Transcending the Stereotypes

Description

The author of Luke-Acts constructs a portrait of the Roman military that relies on a variety of literary stereotypes, anticipating that his authorial audience, familiar with the stereotypes, will bring their experience to bear in the process of more fully characterizing the soldiers. Expecting their antipathy, Luke upsets his authorial audience's expectations. Laurie Brink demonstrates that the soldiers, in fact, do not wholly live up to their bad reputations. Engaging, contradicting and transcending the literary stereotypes, Luke creates a progressive portrait of the Roman soldier that demonstrates the attitudes and actions of a good disciple, and that serves as a critique of the authorial audience's original response. Cover Preface Table of Contents Chapter 1: Luke and the Military 1. Assessing the Situation 1.1 De re militari in Luke-Acts 1.2 Scholarly Investigations of the Military in Luke-Acts 2. Methodology: A Strategic Approach 2.1 Literary Criticism: Attending to the Narrative 2.2 Redaction Criticism: Seeing the Seams 2.3 Assumptions about the Text, Author, and Audience 2.3.1 About the Text 2.3.2 About the Author 2.3.3 About the Audience 2.3.3.1 Which Audience(s)? 2.3.3.2 The Lucan Authorial Audience 3. Plan of Action Chapter 2: Characterization in Ancient Literature 1. Introduction 2. The Process of Characterization and the Function of Narrative Personae 2.1 Creating Characters 2.1.1 The Importance of Ἔνδοξα in Characterization 2.1.2 Modern Literary Theory and the Creation of Character 2.1.3 Filling in the Gaps: The Role of the Audience 2.2 The Narrative and Rhetorical Functions of Characters 3. The Characterization of Soldiers in Greco-Roman Literature 3.1 Soldiers in the Historiographies 3.1.1 The Experience in and of Battle 3.1.2 Historiographers’ Characterization of Soldiers 3.2 Soldiers in the Comedies, Novels, and Satires 4. Conclusion Chapter 3: Literary Stereotypes of Greco-Roman Soldiers 1. Introduction 1.1 Restricting Expectations: The Creation of Stereotypes 1.2 The Homeric Origins of Divergent Military Stereotypes 2. The Heirs of Odysseus and Thersites 2.1 Soldiers on the Battlefield 2.1.1 Ἀνὴρ Ἀγαθός 2.1.1.1 The Brave Soldier 2.1.1.2 The Holy Warrior 2.1.2 The Undisciplined Soldier 2.1.2.1 The Coward 2.1.2.2 The Greedy Soldier 2.1.2.3 The Mutineer 2.1.3 Conclusion: Responding to the Call to Arms 2.2 Policemen in the Provinces 2.2.1 The Rescuer 2.2.2 The Bully 2.2.3 Conclusion: Good Cop, Bad Cop 2.3 Veterans on the Home Front 2.3.1 The Good Citizen 2.3.2 The Braggart 2.3.3 Conclusion: Honorable and Dishonorable Discharge 3. Evaluation of Literary Military Stereotypes 3.1 Virtuous Military Stereotypes 3.2 Ignoble Military Stereotypes Chapter 4: Stereotypical or Against the Grain? The Portrayals of Military Characters in Luke-Acts 1. Introduction 1.1 The Province of Judea 1.2 Roman Auxiliary Cohorts 2. The Characterization of Soldiers and Officers in the Gospel of Luke 2.1 The Soldiers Questioning John the Baptist: Luke 3:14 2.1.1 Bullies Shaking Down the Provincials 2.1.2 Soldiers Capable of Repentance 2.2 The Soldiers at the Detainment and Crucifixion of Jesus: Luke 23 2.2.1 Herodian Soldiers as Bullies 2.2.2 Roman Soldiers Obediently Following Orders 2.2.3 The Centurion at the Cross Depicted as Εὐσεβής 2.2.3.1 An Obedient Officer Glorifying the God of the Jews 2.2.3.2 The Centurion at the Cross Speaks 3. The Characterization of Soldiers and Officers in the Acts of the Apostles 3.1 The Soldiers of Herod Agrippa: Acts 12:4–11, 18–19 3.2 The Roman Soldiers and Officers Quartered in Jerusalem: Acts 21–23 3.2.1 Setting the Scene 3.2.1.1 The Tribune’s First Rescue of Paul: Acts 21:27–40 3.2.1.2 The Tribune’s Second Rescue of Paul: Acts 22:22–29 3.2.1.3 The Tribune Claudius Lysias’ Final Rescue of Paul Acts 23:16–33 3.2.2 The Characterization of the Tribune Claudius Lysias and His Centurions 3.2.2.1 The Tribune Claudius Lysias as a Rescuer and an Ἀνὴρ Ἀγαθός 3.2.2.2 The Tribune Claudius Lysias as Outranked 3.2.2.3 The Centurions Depicted as Comic Foils 3.3 Julius the Centurion, His Soldiers, and the Praetorian Guard: Acts 27–28 3.3.1 Setting the Scene 3.3.2 The Characterization of the Centurion and Soldiers in Chapters 27–28 3.3.2.1 The Centurion Julius as Φιλάνθρωπος 3.3.2.2 The Centurion Julius to the Rescue 4. Conclusion Chapter 5: Transcending Stereotypes: The Centurions of Capernaum and Caesarea 1. Introduction 2. The Centurion of Capernaum: Luke 7:1–10 2.1 Intertextual Antecedents 2.2 Luke’s Redaction of Q 2.3 Analysis of the Characterization of the Centurion of Capernaum 2.3.1 Expecting the Centurion to be Depicted as a Bully 2.3.2 Expecting the Centurion to be Depicted as Greedy 2.3.3 The Centurion and His Embassies 2.3.3.1 The Jewish Πρεσβύτεροι Present the Centurion as Ἄξιος 2.3.3.2 The Φίλοι Represent the Centurion’s Humility 2.3.4 The Centurion Depicted as an Ἀνὴρ Ἀγαθός 3. Cornelius the Centurion: Acts 10 3.1 The Cornelius Event within the Acts of the Apostles 3.2 Analysis of the Characterization of Cornelius, the Centurion of Caesarea 3.2.1 The Centurion Cornelius Depicted as a Roman Ἀνὴρ Ἀγαθός . 3.2.2 The Centurion Cornelius Depicted as Εὐσεβής 3.2.3 The Centurion Cornelius Hosts Peter the Apostle 4. Conclusion 4.1 The Centurion of Capernaum as an Example of Πίστις 4.2 Cornelius the Centurion as Filled with the Holy Spirit Chapter 6: The Roman Soldier as a Parabolic Exemplum 1. Introduction 1.1 Greco-Roman Literary Stereotypes of Soldiers 1.2 Luke’s Use of Stereotypes 2. The Cumulative Characterization of Soldiers in Luke-Acts 3. The Function of the Lucan Portrait of Soldiers 3.1 The Narrative Audience and Lucan Soldiers 3.2 The Roman Soldier as a Parabolic Exemplum Bibliography Ancient Sources: Texts, Editions, Translations Secondary Sources Index of Sources Old Testament New Testament Ancient Authors Index of Modern Authors Index of Subjects