Mikeal Parsons, a leading scholar on Luke and Acts, examines cultural context and theological meaning in Luke in this addition to the well-received Paideia series. Paideia commentaries explore how New Testament texts form Christian readers by:
- Attending to the ancient narrative and rhetorical strategies the text employs
- Showing how the text shapes theological convictions and moral habits
- Commenting on the final, canonical form of each New Testament book
- Focusing on the cultural, literary, and theological settings of the text
- Making judicious use of maps, photos, and sidebars in a reader-friendly format
Students, pastors, and other readers will appreciate the historical, literary, and theological insight offered in this practical commentary.
Editorial Board
Paul J. Achtemeier (emeritus, Union Theological Seminary in Virginia), Loveday Alexander (University of Sheffield), C. Clifton Black (Princeton Theological Seminary), Susan R. Garrett (Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary), Francis J. Moloney, SDB (Salesian Province of Australia)
Reviews
"The series foreword...states, 'This series is aimed squarely at students' from upper-level undergraduates to seminarians. Seldom has a book hit its target as well as this volume. A better first commentary will not be easy to identify. Those who employ Luke for professional purposes will also find it a useful addition to their library...Parsons is in firm control of literary criticism and can deploy it so deftly that his readers may not know that their guide is an expert until they reach the end of their journey...Parsons knows the rhetorical textbooks and cites them more than fifty times to illustrate Lucan techniques...Format and layout are excellent. A concise introduction is followed by a section on 'narrative flow,' with fine sidebars that keep the context unrolling before the audience, paragraphs of detailed comment on units of varying size, and 'theological issues...These sections place the commentary in an explicitly Christian context. Their presence urges readers to think about application...An exemplary text for a student series." — Richard I. Pervo, Catholic Biblical Quarterly
"Parsons here offers rich fare. His theological reflections may not always emerge from Luke's text; they are stimulating and focused...Assuredly, his volume will remain a readable, insightful introduction to Luke as Christian writing. Readers are indebted to Mikeal Parsons." — Peter Doble, Journal for the Study of the New Testament
"[Parsons] draws upon Lukan scholarship effectively and judiciously, providing the reader with adequate guidance to additional resources without overwhelming the reader's patience. In keeping with the goals of the series, the volume is particularly noteworthy for its attention to ancient texts, parallels, and cultural insights. The (black and white) pictures, insets, and textual enrichments are well conceived and professionally produced. These added materials significantly enhance the interpretive value of the volume for modern readers...This commentary is highly recommended for students, scholars, and ministers." — Thomas E. Phillips, Religious Studies Review
"[Parsons] has written numerous books and articles on Luke and the Acts of the Apostles and brings that rich expertise to this commentary on the gospel...Parsons writes clearly and incisively, laying out the structure, content, and, in a concluding section, the theological issues that emerge in each major segment of Luke's account. This is a very well-balanced and valuable resource for exploring Luke's gospel."
— Donald Senior, CP, The Bible Today"Parsons provides seminarians and other theologically interested students of Luke's writings with an erudite grasp of Greco-Roman rhetorical techniques, biblical and intertestamental literature, as well as interpretive traditions from the ancient to late-modern periods...All who read Parsons will benefit greatly." — Gregory R. Perry, Interpretation
"[Parsons] masterfully paints a portrait of Luke as literary artist...Numerous figures, tables, maps, photographs, and structural outline graphics appear throughout the work helping to immerse the reader in the first-century Lukan Sitz im Leben, as well as to trace the rhetorical flow throughout Luke's Gospel...There is much to commend in Parsons's work...[It] is scholarly, yet accessible...Many of Parsons's insights are fresh and make a novel contribution to Lukan studies...Parsons's commentary enables its readers to focus on the text of Luke holistically--thus, noticing the connections between the macro and micro structures of the text...Parsons's commentary evinces the erudition and fruit of a lifetime of scholarship devoted to the study of the literary artistry of Luke's Gospel...This work hits the mark and deserves a spot on the shelf of any serious student of Luke's Gospel...It is a valuable tool for anyone who is teaching/preaching through Luke's Gospel." — Gregory E. Lamb, Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
Mikeal C. Parsons (PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the Kidd L. and Buna Hitchcock Macon Chair in Religion at Baylor University and the author of several books, including Acts in Paideia: Commentaries on the New Testament and The Departure of Jesus in Luke-Acts. He is the coauthor of Luke: A Handbook on the Greek Text and Illuminating Luke (three volumes). Parsons also serves as editor of Perspectives in Religious Studies.
