Date of Award
Spring 1985
Document Type
Dissertation - Restricted
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Theology
First Advisor
Edwards, Richard A.
Second Advisor
Wild, Robert A.
Third Advisor
Schmitt, John J.
Abstract
Luke writes about Jerusalem and the temple much more often than do the other canonical evangelists, as well as in significantly different ways than do Mark, Matthew and John. In this dissertation I have attempted to determine the reason for this distinctly Lukan treatment. The first chapter consists of an introduction to the characteristics of the Jerusalem motif in Luke-Acts, and a survey and evaluation of scholarly treatments of this subject. My discussion with the relevant literature led me to conclude that Jerusalem and the temple are important literary features for Luke, that this importance does not cease at Acts 8:1 as many scholars have claimed, and that this importance is related to the idea of religious authority. In the subsequent chapters I explored each of these observations. The second chapter focuses on what is the Lukan valuation of Jerusalem and the temple. I analyzed Lukan emendations of Markan passages and passages found only in Luke's gospel. The result of this work was the conclusion that Luke presented Jerusalem and the temple as holy space. This is a decidedly more favorable view of Jerusalem and the temple than is found in Mark's gospel. In the third chapter I dealt with the arguments for viewing both Acts 6:8-8:1 and the movement of the narrative following Acts 8:1 as signifying a rejection or replacement of the temple. My conclusion was that these arguments cannot be sustained; rather, both sets of literary features witness to the importance of Jerusalem and the temple for Luke. Finally, chapter four treats the question of the import of Jerusalem and the temple for Luke. It is commonly recognized that in Luke-Acts Jerusalem is the place where the Christian leaders reside. So too, a number of scholars have argued that Luke presents the Christian leaders as the new leaders of Israel. What has not been appreciated is the role of Jerusalem and the temple in the Lukan treatment of the transfer of religious authority. I show how in the narrative Luke presents a struggle for the leadership of the Jewish world with Jerusalem and the temple as the focal points of this struggle. Jerusalem and the temple are important because they represent the place where religious authority my be exercised by both the Jewish and Christian leaders.