Does the New Testament Imitate Homer?: Four Cases from the Acts of the Apostles

243 Pages·2003·2.42 MB·English

by  Dennis R. MacDonald (Author)

Does the New Testament Imitate Homer?

D E N N I S R . M a c D O N A L D
Does the
New Testament
Imitate Homer?
FOUR CASES FROM THE
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
Yale University Press
New Haven and London
Published with assistance from the
Louis Stern Memorial Fund.
Copyright ∫ 2003 by Yale University.
All rights reserved.
This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including illustrations,
in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the
U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press), without written
permission from the publishers.
Set in Sabon type by Keystone Typesetting, Inc.
Printed in the United States of America by Sheridan Books.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
MacDonald, Dennis Ronald, 1946–
Does the New Testament imitate Homer? : four cases from the Acts of the Apostles /
Dennis R. MacDonald.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 0-300-09770-0 (alk. paper)
1. Bible. N.T. Acts—Extra-canonical parallels. 2. Greek literature—Relation to the
New Testament. 3. Homer. Iliad. I. Title.
bs2625.52.m33 2003
226.6%066—dc21
2003049688
A catalog record for this book is available from the British Library.
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the
Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library
Resources.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Gordon, Wynne, Don, and
Treehouse

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
Part One: The Visions of Cornelius and Peter and Iliad 2
1. Cornelius and Peter 19
2. Lying Dream and True Portent 23
3. More Dreams and Portents 29
4. The Visions of Cornelius and Peter 44
5. Local Legend or Homeric Imitation? 56
Part Two: Paul’s Farewell at Miletus and Iliad 6
6. Hector’s Farewell to Andromache 69
7. Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders 74
8. Jewish Testament or Homeric Imitation? 93
vii
viii Contents
Part Three: The Selection of Matthias and Iliad 7
9. The Selection of Ajax to Face Hector 105
10. The Selection of Matthias to Replace Judas 107
11. Jerusalem Legend or Homeric Imitation? 113
Part Four: Peter’s Escape from Prison and Iliad 24
12. Priam’s Escape from Achilles and Its Imitators 123
13. Alexander’s Escape from Darius 131
14. Peter’s Escape from Herod 137
15. Hellenistic Legend or Homeric Imitation? 141
Conclusion 146
Appendix: Greek and Latin Parallels 153
List of Abbreviations 167
Notes 171
Bibliography 209
Index 221