Luke and Acts with(in) Second Temple Judaism

The Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles are nearly always attributed to a single gentile author writing for a gentile audience. Many studies thus concentrate on how Luke and Acts as gentile Christian texts relate to Hellenistic culture or the Roman Empire, with little to no consideration to their ancient Jewish context. Attention to Luke and/or Acts in relation to Judaism is often limited and tends to focus on either the author’s familiarity with Jewish scripture and tradition or the author’s perspective on Torah obedience for gentile followers of Jesus. Even then, scholars assume that “Luke,” as one of the first writers to designate Jesus’ followers as “Christian” (Acts 11:26; 26:28), situates Christianity outside of Judaism.

This volume resituates Luke and Acts with(in) Second Temple Judaism. Several contributions make a case for Luke and Acts being written by a Jew for an audience that included Jews. Various kinds of Jewish settings and intellectual traditions are accordingly appreciated for interpreting key topics in Luke and Acts (e.g., Torah observance, messianism, and eschatology). Additionally, the volume includes discussions on how Luke and Acts might be appreciated within their Greco-Roman environment in light of their Jewish heritage and possibly even as ancient Jewish texts. Finally, Luke and Acts are compared to other early Christian writings as they concern Judaism and Jews, including Jewish followers of Jesus, based on more nuanced and recent understandings of the complexity of early Jewish-Christian relations.