Luke and the Politics of Homeric Imitation

Luke–Acts as Rival to the Aeneid

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Bible & Bible Studies, New Testament, Study, Philosophy, Ancient, Theology
Cover of the book Luke and the Politics of Homeric Imitation by Dennis R. MacDonald, Fortress Academic
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Dennis R. MacDonald ISBN: 9781978701397
Publisher: Fortress Academic Publication: October 25, 2018
Imprint: Fortress Academic Language: English
Author: Dennis R. MacDonald
ISBN: 9781978701397
Publisher: Fortress Academic
Publication: October 25, 2018
Imprint: Fortress Academic
Language: English

Luke and the Politics of Homeric Imitation: Luke–Acts as Rival to the Aeneid argues that the author of Luke–Acts composed not a history but a foundation mythology to rival Vergil’s Aeneid by adopting and ethically emulating the cultural capital of classical Greek poetry, especially Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey and Euripides's Bacchae. For example, Vergil and, more than a century later, Luke both imitated Homer’s account of Zeus’s lying dream to Agamemnon, Priam’s escape from Achilles, and Odysseus’s shipwreck and visit to the netherworld. Both Vergil and Luke, as well as many other intellectuals in the Roman Empire, engaged the great poetry of the Greeks to root new social or political realities in the soil of ancient Hellas, but they also rivaled Homer’s gods and heroes to create new ones that were more moral, powerful, or compassionate. One might say that the genre of Luke–Acts is an oxymoron: a prose epic. If this assessment is correct, it holds enormous importance for understanding Christian origins, in part because one may no longer appeal to the Acts of the Apostles for reliable historical information. Luke was not a historian any more than Vergil was, and, as the Latin bard had done for the Augustine age, he wrote a fictional portrayal of the kingdom of God and its heroes, especially Jesus and Paul, who were more powerful, more ethical, and more compassionate than the gods and heroes of Homer and Euripides or those of Vergil’s Aeneid.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Luke and the Politics of Homeric Imitation: Luke–Acts as Rival to the Aeneid argues that the author of Luke–Acts composed not a history but a foundation mythology to rival Vergil’s Aeneid by adopting and ethically emulating the cultural capital of classical Greek poetry, especially Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey and Euripides's Bacchae. For example, Vergil and, more than a century later, Luke both imitated Homer’s account of Zeus’s lying dream to Agamemnon, Priam’s escape from Achilles, and Odysseus’s shipwreck and visit to the netherworld. Both Vergil and Luke, as well as many other intellectuals in the Roman Empire, engaged the great poetry of the Greeks to root new social or political realities in the soil of ancient Hellas, but they also rivaled Homer’s gods and heroes to create new ones that were more moral, powerful, or compassionate. One might say that the genre of Luke–Acts is an oxymoron: a prose epic. If this assessment is correct, it holds enormous importance for understanding Christian origins, in part because one may no longer appeal to the Acts of the Apostles for reliable historical information. Luke was not a historian any more than Vergil was, and, as the Latin bard had done for the Augustine age, he wrote a fictional portrayal of the kingdom of God and its heroes, especially Jesus and Paul, who were more powerful, more ethical, and more compassionate than the gods and heroes of Homer and Euripides or those of Vergil’s Aeneid.

More books from Fortress Academic

Cover of the book The Art of Forgiveness by Dennis R. MacDonald
Cover of the book Jesus, Transcendence, and Generosity by Dennis R. MacDonald
Cover of the book The Young Against the Old by Dennis R. MacDonald
Cover of the book The Concept of Intrinsic Evil and Catholic Theological Ethics by Dennis R. MacDonald
Cover of the book The Roman Army and the New Testament by Dennis R. MacDonald
Cover of the book Enfleshing Theology by Dennis R. MacDonald
Cover of the book Between Being and Time by Dennis R. MacDonald
Cover of the book Scripture and Resistance by Dennis R. MacDonald
Cover of the book The Nations in the Divine Economy by Dennis R. MacDonald
Cover of the book Reading Phinehas, Watching Slashers by Dennis R. MacDonald
Cover of the book Scripture and Social Justice by Dennis R. MacDonald
Cover of the book Anselm of Canterbury and the Search for God by Dennis R. MacDonald
Cover of the book Luther, Bonhoeffer, and Public Ethics by Dennis R. MacDonald
Cover of the book Being Subordinate Men by Dennis R. MacDonald
Cover of the book Religion and Power by Dennis R. MacDonald
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy