The God of Old: The Role of the Lukan Parables in the Purpose of Luke's Gospel

393 Pages·2000·20.721 MB·English

by  Greg Forbes

JOURNAL FOR THE STUDY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
SUPPLEMENT SERIES
198
Executive Editor
Stanley E. Porter
Editorial Board
Elizabeth A. Castelli, David Catchpole, Kathleen E. Corley,
R. Alan Culpepper, James D.G. Dunn, Craig A. Evans,
Stephen Fowl, Robert Fowler, George H. Guthrie,
Robert Jewett, Robert W. Wall
Sheffield Academic Press
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The God of Old
The Role of the Lukan Parables
in the Purpose of Luke's Gospel
Greg W. Forbes
Journal for the Study of the New Testament
Supplement Series 198
Copyright © 2000 Sheffield Academic Press
Published by
Sheffield Academic Press Ltd
Mansion House
19Kingfield Road
Sheffield S11 9AS
England
Typeset by Sheffield Academic Press
and
Printed on acid-free paper in Great Britain
by Biddies Ltd
Guildford, Surrey
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library
ISBN 1-84127-131-4
CONTENTS
Preface 7
Abbreviations 9
Part I
INTRODUCTORY ISSUES
Chapter 1
A HISTORY OF RESEARCH ON THE LUKAN PARABLES 16
Chapter 2
THE PARABLES: KEY FACTORS IN HISTORICAL RESEARCH 24
Part II
AN ANALYSIS OF THE LUKAN PARABLES
Chapter 3
THE GOOD SAMARITAN (10.25-37) 55
Chapter 4
THE FRIEND AT MIDNIGHT (11.5-8) 72
Chapter 5
THE RICH FOOL (12.13-21) 80
Chapter 6
THE BARREN FIG TREE (13.6-9) 88
Chapter 7
THE GREAT FEAST (14.15-24) 94
Chapter 8
THE PARABLES OF THE LOST (15.1-32) 109
6 The God of Old
Chapter 9
THE DISHONEST MANAGER (16.1-13) 152
Chapter 10
THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS (16.19-31) 180
Chapter 11
THE JUDGE AND THE WIDOW (18.1-8) 198
Chapter 12
THE PHARISEE AND THE TAX-COLLECTOR (18.9-14) 211
Part III
THE THEOLOGY OF THE LUKAN PARABLES AND THEIR
CONTRIBUTION TO THE PURPOSE OF LUKE'S GOSPEL
Chapter 13
THE THEOLOGICAL THEMES OF THE LUKAN PARABLES
AND THE QUESTION OF A UNIFYING MOTIF 225
Chapter 14
THE LUKAN PARABLES AND LUKE'S USE
OF THE OLD TESTAMENT 261
Chapter 15
THE PORTRAYAL OF GOD IN THE LUKAN PARABLES
IN THE LIGHT OF JUDAIC VIEWS OF GOD 279
Chapter 16
THE PARABLES IN THE LIGHT OF LUKE'S PURPOSE
AND TARGET AUDIENCE 307
Chapter 17
CONCLUSION 328
Bibliography 331
Index of References 362
Author Index 380
PREFACE
The Gospel of Luke has always had a special attraction for me. So
looking back it was no surprise that the most significant portion of my
student days was spent learning, reflecting, and finally writing on
Luke's story of Jesus. Why the parables? Apart from the scholarly
issues which I will detail in the introduction, it probably represents a
fascination with Jesus as a storyteller, and the unique stories, in terms
of synoptic parallels, that are attributed to him by Luke.
This book is a revised version of my PhD dissertation submitted to
Deakin University in 1996. The most significant changes occur in
Chapter 15, where the Jewish material has been stratified and the argu-
ment more carefully nuanced.
There are many people whom I would like to thank at the outset. In
an academic sense I have greatly appreciated the encouragement and
practical help given to me by past and present students of the Bible
College of Victoria (especially Robyn Broad, Darren Davies, and Neil
Amery). Special thanks also to my faculty colleagues—it is a privilege
to live and work with such a group of people. Enormous thanks go to
Dr Rikki Watts who not only supervised the thesis and offered timely
suggestions, but also encouraged me throughout the arduous journey. I
am also most grateful to Professor Craig Blomberg, who showed inter-
est in the project and offered helpful suggestions when the thesis was
still in the planning stage.
At a personal level I would like to thank my brother Murray who not
only provided employment for a needy student, but was gracious in
many areas of material support. Thanks also to Phil, Annette, Bruce,
Carolyn, Oscar and Lyndel—a great group of friends who managed to
show interest in the project despite having no detailed knowledge of the
material. Thanks guys, you did more than you will ever know.
But supreme thanks go to my wife Anne-Maree who not only read
endless drafts and emotionally supported me throughout, but worked
full-time and forwent family additions for ten years to enable me to
complete postgraduate studies.
8 The God of Old
This book is dedicated to my late mother Jean, who sadly never lived
either to see this work come to fruition, or to see a rebellious son return
from the far country.
Lilydale, Melbourne
March 2000
ABBREVIATIONS
AB Anchor Bible
ACNT Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament
ACR Australian Catholic Record
AnBib Analecta biblica
ANET James B. Pritchard (ed.), Ancient Near Eastern Tests Relating
to the Old Testament (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University
Press, 1950)
ANETStud Ancient Near Eastern Texts and Studies
ANRW Hildegard Temporini and Wolfgang Haase (eds.), Aufstieg
und Niedergang der romischen Welt: Geschichte und Kultur
Roms im Spiegel der neueren Forschung (Berlin: W. de
Gruyter, 1972-)
APOT R.H. Charles (ed.), Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old
Testament in English (2 vols.; Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913)
ASTI Annual of the Swedish Theological Institute
ATR Anglican Theological Review
AUS American University Studies
AusBR Australian Biblical Review
AUSS Andrews University Seminary Studies
BAGD Walter Bauer, William F. Arndt, F. William Gingrich and
Frederick W. Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New
Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 2nd edn, 1958)
BBB Bonner biblische Beitrage
BDF Friedrich Blass, A. Debrunner, and Robert W. Funk, A Greek
Grammar of The New Testament and Other Early Christian
Literature (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1961)
BECNT Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament
BETL Bibliotheca ephemeridum theologicarum lovaniensium
Bib Biblica
BibLeb Bibel und Leben
BibTod The Bible Today
BJS Brown Judaic Studies
BK Bibel und Kirche
BNTC Black's New Testament Commentaries
BT The Bible Translator