Luke’s Source Claims in the Context of Ancient Historiography

Research on Luke-Acts and the Gospels has largely overlooked the major distinction within ancient historiography between accounts written about events contemporary with the author (e.g., by Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Polybius) and accounts written about non-contemporary events (e.g., by Diodor...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Peters, John J. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill [2020]
In: Journal for the study of the historical Jesus
Year: 2020, Volume: 18, Issue: 1, Pages: 35-60
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Luke / Bible. Lukasevangelium 1,1-4 / Historiography / Classical antiquity / Witnesses
IxTheo Classification:HC New Testament
Further subjects:B Luke’s sources
B Synoptic Gospels
B ‘eyewitnesses from the beginning’
B Luke’s preface
B Ancient Historiography
B Luke-Acts
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Description
Summary:Research on Luke-Acts and the Gospels has largely overlooked the major distinction within ancient historiography between accounts written about events contemporary with the author (e.g., by Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Polybius) and accounts written about non-contemporary events (e.g., by Diodorus, Dionysius, Plutarch, Arrian). As ancient authors writing about contemporary events represented their sources primarily in terms of autopsy and eyewitness testimony, so Luke’s preface corresponds with this practice. I argue that a proper understanding of ancient historical method, epistemology, and the use of ἐπιχειρέω (Luke 1.1; Acts 9.29; 19.13) confirm that Luke represented as the sources for his account not the ‘many’ prior accounts but rather the ‘eyewitnesses’ and ‘servants of the word’.
ISSN:1745-5197
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the historical Jesus
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/17455197-2019004