THE GOSPEL OF LUKE AND

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

THE canonical GOSPELS
MATTHEW MARK LUKE JOHN
p
45
3
rd
c.
20:24-32; 21:13-19; Mk 4:36-9:31 Lk 6:31-7:7 Jn 10:7-25
25:41-26:39 11:27-12:28 9:26-14:33 10:30-11:10
11:18-36,42-57
p
64
p
67
(Mt 3, 5,26)
p
77
(Mt 23:30-39)
p
84
p
88


P
4
p
69
p
75
p
7
p
82

p
66
p
75

a B
059 0188
The Gospel Manuscripts



MANUSCRIPTS OF THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES


THE UNITY OF LUKE AND ACTS
Authorial
Canonical
Generic
Narrative
Theological


THE UNITY OF LUKE AND ACTS
Authorial Unity
- Common authorship of the Third Gospel
and the Acts of the Apostles

THE UNITY OF LUKE AND ACTS
External Evidence
Third Gospel
a B kata loukan kata loukan
Acts of the Apostles
33 189 1891 2344 Louka euaggelistou
praxeis tn agin apostoln
Louka euaggelistou praxeij twn agiwn
praxeij twn agiwn apostolwn
apostolwn

THE UNITY OF LUKE AND ACTS
External Evidence
Irenaeus, Adversus haereses (ca. 175
180 CE)

Then, Luke, the follower of Paul, set
down in a book the gospel proclaimed by
him (Adv. haer. III.1.1).
we-passages in Acts
Acts 16:10-17; 20:5-15; 21:1-18; 27:1-28:16

THE UNITY OF LUKE AND ACTS
External Evidence
Eusebius (260-340)
Luke was by race an Antiochene and
by profession a physician as the author
of the gospel of Luke and Acts (Historia
Ecclesiastica 3.4.1)
Jerome (342-420): a doctor of Antioch.
wrote the gospel and published also
another excellent volume which is
entitled Apostolic Acts (De Viris
Illustribus 7).
Muratorian Canon (ca. 170-210)
the gospel according to Luke was
written by Luke the physician after
the ascension of Christ (10.2-8);
the acts of all the apostles were
written in one volume
Luke compiled for the most
excellent Theophilus the several
things that were done in his
presence (10.34-39).
Dissenting Opinion
19
th
c.
F.C. Baur
J.H. Sholten

21
st
c.
M. Parsons and R. Pervo
P. Walters


THE UNITY OF LUKE AND ACTS
Martin Dibelius (1883-1947)
Henry Joel Cadbury (1883-1974)

THE UNITY OF LUKE AND ACTS
Internal Evidence

Stylistic
Thematic-Theological

THE UNITY OF LUKE AND ACTS
PROLOGUE
Lk 1:1-4 Acts 1:1-5

Conclusion of
the Gospel
Lk 24:47-49
Lk 24:51 Acts 1:6-11


THE UNITY OF LUKE AND ACTS
Canonical Unity/Disunity
- Pertains to the arrangement of Luke and
the Acts in the Canon
- Luke and Acts are separated in the
canon by the Gospel of John


THE UNITY OF LUKE AND ACTS
Canonical Unity/Disunity
- Question: did the ancient readers read
Luke and Acts as two parts of a single
work?
- No evidence in the reception history of
Luke and Acts that they were joined
together before they got separated.

THE UNITY OF LUKE AND ACTS
Generic Unity

- Question: is it necessary that the two
parts of a single work have the same
genre?
- Luke is a gospel; Acts belongs to
another genre (perhaps, historical
monograph)


THE UNITY OF LUKE AND ACTS
Generic Unity

Luke-Acts belong to
historiography (Haenchen, Hengel, Hemer)
Biography (Talbert), similar to succession
narratives in ancient philosophical schools
Similar to classical Greek epics (MacDonald)
Different genre: Luke is similar to a
biography; Acts is like ancient popular novel
(Pervo)

THE UNITY OF LUKE AND ACTS
Narrative Unity

Internal Evidence
Prologues (Lk 1:1-4; Acts 1:1-5)
Geographical pattern
Thematic continuity
parallelism
Theophilus
Jew from Alexandria (Coptic view)
Roman Official (Acts 26:25; 24:3; 23:26)
Theophilus ben Ananus, high priest of the
temple of Jerusalem (37-41), a Sadduccean
priest
A converted Roman official, Titus Flavius
Sabinus II, former prefect of Rome; Luke was
Sabinus slave who cured him of illness. Luke
was then set free
Pauls lawyer during his trial in Rome