243 - Luke-Acts: The Promise of History

Luke-Acts: The Promise of History

By Donald Juel

Atlanta, John Knox, 1983. 138 Pp. $7.95.

In this non-technical but insightful introduction to Luke and Acts, Juel agrees with Jacob Jervell, Luke and the People of God, and David Tiede, Prophecy and History in Luke-Acts, in arguing against the majority that Luke was addressing Jewish, not Gentile Christians.

Juel emphasizes that Luke's purpose was to ground the church of his day in the Jewish Scriptures and people. The prefaces, canticles, and speeches interpret the narrative as a continuation of the story of God's people from Abraham to Christ's second coming. While the closest parallels to Luke-Acts are Jewish and biblical histories, one need not conclude that Luke-Acts had to be for Jewish Christians. For all

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churches knew the Jewish Scriptures and most Greco-Roman religions demonstrated their antiquity against charges of being new religions. The book is highly recommended as a text for introductory and adult classes.

WILLIAM S. KURZ, S.J.

Marquette University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin