Unmanly Men: Refigurations of Masculinity in Luke-Acts

360 Pages·2015·1.33 MB·English

by  Brittany E. Wilson

Unmanly Men

UNMANLY
MEN
Refigurations of Masculinity
in Luke-Acts
z
BRITTANY E. WILSON
1
3
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wilson, Brittany E.
Unmanly men : refigurations of masculinity in Luke-Acts / Brittany E. Wilson.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-19-932500-9 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Bible. Luke—Criticism, interpretation, etc.
2. Bible. Acts—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 3. Men in the Bible.
4. Masculinity—Religious aspects—Christianity—History of doctrines—
Early church, ca. 30–600. 5. Men (Christian theology) I. Title.
BS2589.6.M39W55 2015
226.4'0830531—dc23 2014031558
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
To my parents,
Sharon and Walter Wilson

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
List of Abbreviations xi
Note on Sources xv
Introduction: Why Study Men in Luke-Acts? 1
PART I: Preliminary Sketches: Masculinity
in Luke-Acts and the Greco-Roman World
1. Masculinity in Luke-Acts 13
The History of Masculinity in Lukan Studies 14
Luke-Acts and the Intersection of Masculine Mores 24
Summary 38
2. Masculinity in the Greco-Roman World 39
Men on Top: Masculinity and the Gender Hierarchy 40
The Body Reflects the Man: Masculinity Embodied 49
“Mandates” for Manly Men: Power and Self-Control 58
Summary 75
PART II: Portraits of Unmanly Men: Minor
Male Characters in Luke-Acts
3. Preparing the Way: Zechariah as a Silenced Soon-to-Be
Father (Luke 1) 79
Zechariah in the Birth Narrative and Beyond 82
viii Contents
The Reversal Begins: Zechariah’s “Fall” 83
An Emasculating Muteness: Zechariah Silenced 89
The Relegation of Paternal Power: Zechariah’s Restoration 105
Summary 111
4. Propagating the Gospel: The Ethiopian Eunuch as an
Impotent Power (Acts 8) 113
The Ethiopian Eunuch and “the End of the Earth” 116
Neither Male nor Female: The Ethiopian Eunuch
as an Unmanly Man 117
A Lowly “Power”: The Ethiopian Eunuch as a Model Man 136
Summary 148
PART III: Snapshots of Unmanly Men: Central
Male Characters in Luke-Acts
5. An Out-of-Control Convert: Paul on the Way to
Damascus (Acts 9) 153
An Incapacitating Conversion: Paul Blinded 157
The Power of God: Paul after His Conversion 172
Repetitions of God’s Power: Paul’s Conversion Revisited 180
Summary 188
6. A Crucified Lord: Jesus on the Way to the Cross (Luke 22–23) 190
Prelude to Crucifixion: Jesus as Fully God and Fully “Man” 192
Passion and Crucifixion: Jesus’ Journey to the Cross 201
Postlude to Crucifixion: Jesus as the Crucified, Risen Lord 235
Summary 241
Conclusion: God, Men, and Power in Luke-Acts 243
Lukan Masculinity in the Greco-Roman World 247
Lukan Masculinity Today 256
Bibliography 265
Index of Select Modern Authors 303
Index of Ancient Sources 307
Acknowledgments
a number of people have made this book possible. I first want to thank
Beverly Gaventa, who has encouraged this project since its inception as a
doctoral dissertation at Princeton Theological Seminary. Beverly has not
only been my teacher and mentor, but she has been my advocate, confi-
dante, and friend. She represents all that is best in a Doktormutter, and I
have benefitted immeasurably from her counsel and wisdom over the years.
A special word of thanks also belongs to my other dissertation committee
members, Ross Wagner and Jacqueline Lapsley. Ross and Jacq sharpened
the argument of this project with their incisive comments and were gen-
erous with their time and unflagging in their support.
While this project began at Princeton Theological Seminary, it has since
undergone a series of revisions and reached its present form after I joined
the faculty at Duke Divinity School. My colleagues at Duke have been an
invaluable source of assistance and encouragement, and I am especially
grateful to my colleagues in the Biblical Studies Department and to my
dean, Richard Hays. The completion of this book is due in large part to
Richard, and I will always be thankful for his mentorship and guidance.
A number of people have also lent their assistance to the completion of
this book through either conversation or written feedback. I thank in par-
ticular Shane Berg, Cavan Concannon, Davina Lopez, Joel Marcus, Dale
Martin, Stephen Moore, Matthew Novenson, Todd Penner, Meredith
Riedel, Kavin Rowe, Jason Sturdevant, Laura Sweat, and Robyn Whitaker.
Various chapters of this book have also benefited from the participants of
a number of conferences, including those from the Mid-Atlantic Region
SBL who nominated my paper for the SBL Regional Scholar award (received
2012), the SBL Synoptic Gospel section at the Society of Biblical Literature
in Atlanta, Georgia (2010), and the Book of Acts section at the Society of
Biblical Literature in San Francisco, California (2011) and in Baltimore,