Early Narrative Christology: The Lord in the Gospel of Luke

286 Pages·2009·8.36 MB·English

by  C. Kavin Rowe

C. Kavin Rowe
Early Narrative Christology: The Lord in the Gospel of Luke
Beihefte zur Zeitschrift fur die
neutestamentliche Wissenschaft
und die Kunde der alteren Kirche
Herausgegeben von
James D. G. Dunn· Carl R. Holladay
Hermann Lichtenberger· Jens Schroter
Gregory E. Sterling · Michael Wolter
Band 139
Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York
C. I<avin Rowe
Early Narrative Christology:
The Lord in the Gospel of Luke
Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York
@ Cedruckt auf saurcfreiem Papier,
das die US-ANSI-Norm iiber Haltbarkeit erfiillt.
ISBN-13: 978-3-11-018995-7
ISBN-10: 3-11-018995-X
ISSN 0171-6441
Jjbrary of Congre.r.r Cata!ogir(g-in-P~tb!ication Data
Rowe, Christopher Kavin, 1974-
Early narrative Christology : the Lord in the Gospel of Luke / C. Ka
vin, Ro\ve.
p. em. - (Beihefte zur Zeitschrift fi_ir die neutestamentliche \lCissen-
schaft und die Kunde der alteren Kirche ; Bd. 139)
r ncludes bibliographical references.
ISBN 3-11-018995-X (hardcover 23 X 15,5 em: alk. paper)
1. Bible. N. T. Luke - Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Jesus Christ
Person and offices - Biblical teaching. I. Tide. II. Series : Beihcfte
zur Zeitschrift fiir die neutestamendiche \X'issenschaft und die Kunde der
alteren Kirche ; Beihcft 139.
BS2595.52.R69 2006
226.4'06-dc22
2006016767
Bib!iografische Information Der Deutscher; Bib!iothek
Die Deutsche Bibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen N ationalbibliografie;
detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet iiber http://d nb.ddb.de abruf11ar.
©
Copyright 2006 by \X'alter de Cruyter CmbH & Co. KC, 10785 Berlin
Dieses \X'erk einschlid\lich aller seiner Teilc ist urheberrechtlich geschiitzt. Jede Verwertung
aulkrhalb der engen Crenzen des Urheberrechtsgesetzes ist ohne Zustimmung des Verlages
unzulassig und straf11ar. Das gilt insbesondere fiir Verviclfaltigungen, Ubersetzungen, Mikro-
verfilmungen und die Einspeicherung und Verarbeitung in clektronischen Systemen.
Printed in C ermany
Einbandgestaltung: Christopher Schneider, Berlin
For Gabrielle and Isaac
Preface
Acknowledging the help one has received on such a project is a
daunting and humbling task. I want first to mention my wife, Gabrielle,
who has read every word of this book and whose relentless criticism
and passionate love form the base of the book's existence. Second, my
son Isaac's joy in life and play and his total indifference to this project
are a salutary reminder of the scope of one's work. Third, the members
of my dissertation committee deserve thanks for their criticism of and
engagement with an earlier version of this work: Professors Richard
Hays (chair), D. Moody Smith, Joel Marcus, Geoffrey Wainwright, and
Reinhard Hutter. Richard should receive particular recognition, for in
his capacity as my Advisor he read every chapter along the way and
provided countless suggestions for improvement, as well as much
encouragement and friendship.
During my research in Heidelberg, Professor Peter Lampe was an
ideal host; he created space for me to write and granted much time for
fruitful conversation. Thanks are also due to Professor Michael Wolter,
editor of the BZNW series, and Professor Gregory Sterling for their
insightful criticisms and for their acceptance of the manuscript. Among
my earlier teachers, Professor Ulrich Mauser should be mentioned as
one who embodied clearly the commitment to both rigorous,
technically informed exegesis and larger theological synthesis.
Duke University Divinity School is a marvelous place to prepare a
manuscript for publication. In this respect, thanks are due to Dean Greg
Jones and to David Toole for arranging support for key aspects of this
preparation. In particular, Brittany Wilson quickly and expertly
corrected tedious computer problems in the Greek font, and T.J. Lang
made the indices with good humor and lightning speed. T.J. also read
the entire manuscript and made helpful suggestions for improvement.
Anne Weston, senior editorial assistant to the faculty, worked tirelessly
and superbly on the entirety of this work and saved me from some
embarrassing errors.
Finally, I want to thank our parents: Dr. Tom and Betty Rowe, and
Dr. Joe and Pam Ponzi. They have done more than we can say to see us
through many tired days with love and generosity. My 95-year-old
grandfather, Ed Bullard, has waited patiently for this book, and it is
with utmost pleasure that-at long last-I can tell him it is finished.
Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................ 1
I. Justification for the Study ........................................................ 2
II. Interpretive Method .................................................................. 9
III. Identity ..................................................................................... 17
IV. Possible Objections? ................................................................ 23
V. The Argument .......................................................................... 27
Chapter 1: The Coming K0pwc; ....................................................... 31
Part 1: The Lord in the Womb ................................................... 31
I. Luke 1-2 and the Old Testament.. ....................................... 32
II. Luke 1:43: The Mother of My Lord ....................................... 34
III. Luke 2:11: Christ-Lord ............................................................ 49
Part 2: Preparation for the Coming Lord .............................. 56
I. Luke 1:16-17: Preparing a People for the Lord .................... 56
II. Luke 1:76: Preparing the Way of the Lord ........................... 68
III. Luke 3:4-6: John and the Lord ............................................... 70
Chapter 2: Mission in Galilee ........................................................... 78
I. Luke 4:14-21: The Year of the Lord ....................................... 78
II. Luke 5:1-11: Master or Lord? ................................................. 82
III. Luke 5:12-16: The Healing Lord ............................................ 89
IV. Luke 5:17-26: The Power of the Lord .................................... 92
V. Luke 6:5: The Lord of the Sabbath ...................................... 105
VI. Luke 6:46: Lord, Lord ........................................................... 111
VII. Luke 7:1-10: Lord of the Gentiles ........................................ 114
VIII. Luke 7:11-17: The Lord of Death ......................................... 117
IX. Conclusion ............................................................................. 121
Chapter 3: Moving toward Jerusalem ........................................ 123
I. Luke 9:52-56: The Humble Lord .......................................... 123
II. Luke 9:57-62: The Lord and His Demands ........................ 127
Vlll Contents
III. Luke 10:1-20: The Lord of Mission ...................................... 133
IV. Luke 10:21-22: The Lord of Heaven and Earth .................. 136
v. Luke 10:38-42: Mary, Martha, and .................................... 142
VI. The Lord in the Parables ...................................................... 151
VII. Conclusion ............................................................................. 157
Chapter 4: Jerusalem, the Passion, and the Resurrection .. 158
I. Luke 19:28-40 (7:19; 13:35): Psalm 118:26: The Entry
of the Lord ............................................................................. 159
II. Luke 20:9-19: Parable as Prelude to the Passion:
The Lord, the Vineyard, and the Tenants .......................... 167
III. Luke 20:41-44: Psalm 110:1: The Two Lords ...................... 170
IV. Luke 22:33 and 22:61: Peter's Confidence and
Betrayal of the Lord .............................................................. 177
V. Luke 22:38 and 22:49: The Lord and the Sword ................ 180
VI. Luke 24: The Risen Lord ....................................................... 182
Excursus: Kupwc;, Identity, and Acts 2:36 ........................................ 189
Chapter 5: Synthesis: Kuptor; in the Gospel of Luke ............ 197
I. Ku pwc; in the Gospel of Luke ............................................... 197
II. Ku pwc; and Identity: 8£6c; and 'I11crouc; ................................ 199
III. Kupwc; and Identity: Kupwc; 'I11crouc; ................................... 202
IV. Kupwc; and History ............................................................... 208
V. Conclusion: Kupwc; and the Gospel.. .................................. 217
Concluding Postscript: Situating Lukan Christology ......... 219
I. Paul. ......................................................................................... 221
II. Gospel of John ....................................................................... 226
III. Concluding Reflections ........................................................ 230
Appendix I: Kupwc; in the Gospel of Luke ............................... 232
Appendix II: Kupwc; in Codex Bezae's Version of Luke ..... 234
Appendix III: Kupwr; and Lukan Miscellany .......................... 237
Selected Bibliography ........................................................................ 241
Index of Ancient Sources ....................................................... 263
Index of Modern Authors ...................................................... 273
Introduction
If [biblical] criticism may be said to flourish among us at all, it certainly
flourishes immensely, for it flows through the periodical press like a river
that has burst its dikes. The quantity of it is prodigious, and it is a commod
ity of which, however the demand be estimated, the supply will be sure to
be in any supposable extremity the last thing to fail us.1
While on a bus ride home to the University Guesthouse in Heidelberg, I
was asked by a newly appointed theology professor about the topic of
my research. When I replied that I intended to write about Luke's use
of Kupwr;, he gave me a rather odd look and said something that
roughly translates as, "Hasn't that been done ad nauseam?"
I begin with this anecdote because it is my guess that this initial
reaction to my project is one that others could share. Indeed, this basic
experience was variously repeated a few times over in the course of my
year in Heidelberg. Perhaps these scholars had in mind Bousset' s
classic book Kyrios Christos and any number of the important articles on
the "origin" or "background" of the Kupwr; title.2 Or perhaps they were
thinking of the pertinent sections in the widely-read christologies of the
fifties and sixties,3 of such work as Eric Franklin's book, 4 G. D.
Henry James, "Criticism," in The Art of Fiction and Other Essays (New York: Oxford
University Press, 1948), 215-219 (215). I have substituted the adjective "biblical" for
"literary." Cf. Joseph A. Fitzmyer, The Gospel according to Luke (2 vols. Garden City:
Doubleday, 1981, 1985), 2.ix: "Secondary literature on the Lucan Gospel is enor
mous"; and, Joseph Verheyden, "The Unity of Luke-Acts: What Are We Up To?" in
The Unity of Luke-Acts (ed. Joseph Verheyden; Leuven: University Press, 1999), 3-56:
"It has been said and repeated many times: the flood of publications on Lk and Acts
is overwhelming" (8).
2 The two most important articles are both by Fitzmyer, "New Testament Kyrios and
Maranatha and Their Aramaic Background," in To Advance the Gospel: New Testament
Studies (2nd ed.; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), 218-235; and "The Semitic Back
ground of the New Testament Kyrios-Title," in A Wandering Aramean: Collected Ara
maic Essays (Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1979), 115-142 (also reprinted in The Semitic
Background of the New Testament). Cf. also, e.g., the relevant sections of Werner Foer
ster's article in G. Quell and W. Foerster, "Jc6pwc; K'tA..," in TDNT 3.1039-98. Fitz
myer also has a brief survey of Kuptoc; in the New Testament in EWNT 2.812-820.
3 E.g., Oscar Cullmann, The Christology of the New Testament (rev. ed.; Philadelphia:
Westminster, 1963; German edition 1957), 195-237; Ferdinand Hahn, The Titles of Je
sus in Christology: Their History in Early Christianity (New York: World Publishing
Company, 1969; German edition, 1963), 68-135; Vincent Taylor, The Names of Jesus