Shaping the Past to Define the Present: Luke-Acts and Apologetic Historiography

Uncovering ancient texts and rethinking early Christian identity with the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles

S*haping the Past to Define the Present* comprises both new and revised essays by esteemed New Testament scholar Gregory E. Sterling on Jewish and early Christian historiography. A sequel to his seminal work, *Historiography and Self-Definition*, this volume expands on Sterling's reading of Luke-Acts in the context of contemporary Jewish and Greek historiography. These systematically arranged essays comprise his new and revised contributions to the field of biblical studies, exploring:

* the genre of apologetic historiography exemplified by Josephus and Eusebius
* the context of Josephus's work within a larger tradition of Eastern historiography
* the initial composition and circulation of Luke and Acts
* the relationship of Luke-Acts to the Septuagint
* the interpretation of the Diaspora in Luke-Acts
* the structure of salvation history as it is manifested in Luke-Acts
* Socratic influences on Luke's portrayal of Jesus's death
* the early Jerusalem Christian community as depicted in Acts compared with other Hellenized Eastern traditions such as Egyptian priests and Indian sages
* the establishment of Christianity's "socially respectability" as a guiding purpose in Luke-Acts

Engaging with current critical frameworks, Sterling offers readers a comprehensive analysis of early Christian self-definition through Judeo-Christian historiography.Read less