5. San Antonio 2021

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. 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 Enoch Seminar colloquium will interact with recent publications of scholars who situate Luke/-Acts squarely with(in) Judaism. Papers by the authors will be distributed beforehand to invited respondents who will share their remarks during the panel, which will then be followed by open discussion. The colloquium is currently scheduled to take place on Friday, November 19, 2021 at the SBL Annual Meeting in San Antonio. 

Schedule

— This event is hosted in Central Standard Time —

Part One: The Eschatology of Luke and Acts With(in) Second Temple Judaism (9:30am – 11:30am)

Chair: Gabriele Boccaccini

Mark S. Kinzer, MJTS, Jerusalem Crucified, Jerusalem Risen (Cascade Books, 2018) – 15 mn

Isaac W. Oliver, Bradley University, Luke’s Jewish Eschatology: The National Restoration of Israel within Luke-Acts (Oxford University Press, 2021) – 15 mn

Respondents:

Robert L. Brawley, McCormick Theological Seminary – 10 mn
Rebecca Denova, University of Pittsburgh – 10 mn
Ben Witherington, Asbury Theological Seminary – 10 mn

Discussion: 60 mn

Part Two: Jews and Jewish Christ-followers With(in) Luke and Acts (1:00pm – 3:00pm)

Chair: Isaac W. Oliver

Jocelyn McWhirter, Albion College, Rejected Prophets: Jesus and His Witnesses in Luke-Acts (Fortress Press, 2013) – 15 mn

David Andrew Smith, Duke University, Luke and the Jewish Other: Politics of Identity in the Third Gospel – 15 mn

Respondents:

Gabriele Boccaccini, University of Michigan – 10 mn
A.-J. Levine, Vanderbilt University – 10 mn
Shelly Matthews, Brite Divinity – 10 mn

Discussion: 60 mn