These two volumes of The New Testament and Greek Literature are the magnum opus of biblical scholar Dennis R. MacDonald, outlining the profound connections between the New Testament and classical Greek poetry. MacDonald argues that the Gospel writers borrowed from established literary sources to create stories about Jesus that readers of the day would find convincing.
In Luke and Vergil MacDonald proposes that the author of Luke-Acts followed Mark's lead in imitating Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, but greatly expanded his project, especially in the Acts, but adding imitations not only of the epics but also of Euripides' Bacchae and Plato's Socratic dialogues. The potential imitations include spectacular miracles, official resistance, epiphanies, prison breaks, and more. The book applies mimesis criticism and uses side-by-side comparisons to show how early Christian authors portrayed the origins of Christianity as more compelling than the Augustan Golden Age.

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Topic
Theology & ReligionSubtopic
Biblical ReferenceTable of contents
- Contents
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Passages in Luke-Acts with Proposed Imitations
- Part One: Euripides’ Bacchae and Luke-Acts
- Part Two: Socrates in Plato and Xenophon
- Part Three: Vergil’s Odyssey-Iliad and Luke-Acts
- Appendix 1: Analogous Imitations of Euripides’ Bacchae in Jewish and Christian Texts
- Appendix 2: Analogous Imitations of Plato’s Socrates in Christian Texts
- Appendix 3: The Q+/Papias Hypothesis
- Notes
- Bibliography
- About the Author
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Yes, you can access Luke and Vergil by Dennis R. MacDonald in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Theology & Religion & Biblical Reference. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.