I Alone Am Left

Elijah and the Remnant in Luke-Acts

Jeremy D. Otten

• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN:
  9781666701357
  9781666701364
• eBook ISBN:
  9781666701371
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

In examining Luke's multiple appeals to the figure of Elijah, this study not only provides clarity to a fascinating but often misunderstood element of the Lukan narrative, but also provides a helpful model for understanding an even more perplexing question in Lukan studies, namely, the presentation of the nation of Israel. No New Testament author takes more interest in Elijah than Luke, who may allude to the Elijah-Elisha narratives as many as forty times. This study pushes past questions of typology and one-to-one correlation that have stalled scholarly discussion on the topic, examining the theological significance of Elijah in Luke-Acts as a literary motif. It is argued that, in drawing on a common association between Elijah and the Old Testament concept of remnant, Luke appeals to Elijah at key moments in the narrative in order to signal the development of his remnant theology. For Luke, as in the days of the prophets, the concept of remnant holds in tension God's irrevocable promises to Israel with the widespread rejection of God's new work of salvation; the faithfulness of a few with a hope for the nation as a whole; and the particular election of Israel with the message of salvation for all nations.

1

Introduction

“When dogs howl, the Angel of Death has come to a town. But when dogs frolic, Elijah the prophet has come to a town.”—b. Kam. 60b

Wherever he appears, Elijah stands alone: a solitary prophet of Yahweh challenging a thousand pagan priests; a lonely figure on Mount Horeb, standing before the fire of God; a single zealous prophet snatched away from even his closest disciple as he is taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elijah is unique also in his radical contrasts: summoning heavenly fire on his enemies but also tenderly summoning back the spirit of a poor widow’s dead son; bringing about the wrath of God on an apostate nation, but also turning back God’s wrath on the last day as he gathers the eschatological remnant (cf. Sir 48:10). It is little wonder that both Jewish and Christian writers were so captivated by him.1 In the NT, no author takes greater interest in Elijah than does Luke, who draws on the OT Elijah traditions through dozens of quotations, allusions, and echoes.2 Moreover, while the other Synoptics seem to limit interest in Elijah to typological connections with John the Baptist (e.g., Mark 1:6; 9:11–13//Matt 17:9–13; Matt 11:14), Luke’s Gospel develops strong parallels not only with John, but also with Jesus and even the disciples. Furthermore, his interest appears not to be primarily typological. Rather, drawing on long established associations between Elijah and the remnant of Israel, Luke appears to employ the figure of the Tishbite to get at the heart of one of the most pressing theological questions his work addresses: the relationship between Israel and the church.

History of Research

Typology/Fulfillment Models

Much of the scholarly discussion regarding Luke’s use of Elijah has focused on prophecy fulfillment and typology and has thus revolved around the question of which figure Luke associates with the OT prophet, whether Jesus, John, or perhaps both.3 The first position, best represented by Hans Conzelmann and Walter Wink, sees a deliberate denial of any connection between John the Baptist and Elijah in favor of an Elijah-Jesus association.4 Pointing to Luke’s notable omissions of synoptic material that connects John to Elijah (esp. Mark 1:6; 9:9–13//Matt 17:10–13; Matt 11:14), Conzelmann argues that Luke omits John’s role as Elijah or the Messianic forerunner as both theologically unnecessary and salvation-historically inaccurate.5 The evangelist is aware of the John-Elijah connection from his sources and even retains some of it in the prologue (1:17), but he makes clear “by what he omits and by what he adds” that he sees no such connection himself.6 Building on Conzelmann, Wink argues more positively that Lukan additions (esp. Luke 4:23–27; 7:11–16) develop a strong Elijah-Jesus connection, while downplaying any residual relationship with John, as part of Luke’s “desire to assimilate all honorific and exalted titles to Jesus Christ.”7 However, this position fails to take seriously those passages which Luke retains or even adds that maintain a connection with John, most notably from the birth narratives (1:17, 76; see also 7:27; cf. Mal 3:1).8 On the other hand, a minority of scholars sees Luke connecting Elijah with John and not Jesus, pointing especially to those points in the Lukan narrative which appear to distinguish Jesus from the OT prophet (esp. 9:8, 19, 52–56). The most common explanations pertain to christological concerns on Luke’s part, although some also note a concern to preserve the John-Elijah typology found in Luke’s sources.9 R. E. Brown even suggests that Luke portrays Jesus as the Elisha to John’s Elijah, a suggestion which, though intriguing, fails to account for some critical parallels with Elijah, such as Jesus’s ascension (cf. Luke 9:51; 24:51; Acts 1:2, 9–11).10 Ultimately, the Jesus-Elijah connections are too numerous ...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Preface
• Abbreviations
• Abstract
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: A Theology of Remnant
• Chapter 3: Elijah and the Remnant in the Old Testament
• Chapter 4: Elijah and the Remnant in Later Jewish and Christian Literature
• Chapter 5: Elijah and John the Baptist in Luke
• Chapter 6: Elijah and Jesus in Luke-Acts
• Chapter 7: Elijah and the Disciples in Luke-Acts
• Chapter 8: Conclusion
• Appendix
• Bibliography