Narrative Irony in Luke - Acts: The Paradoxical Interaction of Prophetic Fulfillment and Jewish Rejection

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Year:
Pages:200
ISBN:0-7734-2359-1
978-0-7734-2359-6
Price:$159.95 + shipping
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The study shows, through narrative critical methodology, that the author of Luke-Acts sees irony in the events of the church's history, and that this irony is central to his primary theological purpose. The interaction of two prominent Lukan literary motifs, the fulfillment of scriptural prophecy and the Jewish rejection of Jesus and the gospel, produces a paradoxical irony of events that extends through the narrative and serves the author's christological and soteriological purposes. Christologically, the Jewish rejection of Jesus as Messiah demonstrates his messiahship, for it leads to his suffering and resurrection which fulfill the scriptural promises regarding the messianic event. Soteriologically, the Jewish rejection of the gospel actually promotes its worldwide acceptance, thereby fulfilling God's plan to grant salvation to all nations.

Reviews

. . . a significant contribution to scholarship in the Lukan writings. He has blended both literary and historical critical concerns, with the emphasis on the former. . . . an excellent summary of research into irony in contemporary scholarship and an equally helpful concise treatment of major ironies found throughout Luke and Acts. His greatest contribution is his thesis that the entire narrative of Luke-Acts is constructed around a single irony built on the Jewish rejection of Jesus as Messiah. . . . a significant contribution to narratological methodology and an important voice in the contemporary debate over the place of the Jews in Luke-Acts." - John B. Polhill

"A good bibliography on irony and method may make this book appealing to narrative critics." - Religious Studies Review

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