Shaping the Past to Define the Present

Luke-Acts and Apologetic Historiography

Gregory E. Sterling

• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Year: 2023
• ISBN:
  9781467465885
• Topic: Théologie et religion
• Subtopic: Études bibliques

Rethinking early Christian identity with the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles?
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Shaping the Past to Define the Present comprises both new and revised essays by esteemed New Testament scholar Gregory E. Sterling on Jewish and early Christian historiography. A sequel to his seminal work, Historiography and Self-Definition, this volume expands on Sterling's reading of Luke-Acts in the context of contemporary Jewish and Greek historiography. These systematically arranged essays encompass his new and revised contributions to the field of biblical studies, exploring: ?
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• the genre of apologetic historiography exemplified by Josephus and Eusebius?
• the context of Josephus's work within a larger tradition of Eastern historiography?
• the initial composition and circulation of Luke and Acts?
• the relationship of Luke-Acts to the Septuagint?
• the interpretation of the diaspora in Luke-Acts?
• the structure of salvation history as it is manifested in Luke-Acts??
• Socratic influences on Luke's portrayal of Jesus's death?
• the early Jerusalem Christian community as depicted in Acts compared with other Hellenized Eastern traditions such as Egyptian priests and Indian sages?
• the establishment of Christianity's "social respectability" as a guiding purpose in Luke-Acts??
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Engaging with current critical frameworks, Sterling offers readers a comprehensive analysis of early Christian self-definition through Judeo-Christian historiography.