Gospel of Luke

We continue with our series of 5 books to read (not commentaries).

C. Kavin Rowe, Early Narrative Christology: The LORD in the Gospel of Luke

An important study of “Lord” language in Luke.

Luke Timothy Johnson, Prophetic Jesus, Prophetic Church: The Challenge of Luke-Acts to Contemporary Christians

This has been one of the most transformative studies for me of the nature and identity of Jesus, and in parallel the identity of the church.

Salty Wives, Spirited Mothers, and Savvy Widows: Capable Women of Purpose and Persistence in Luke’s Gospel 

This is a well-researched and well-written study of women in Luke. I have returned to it many times.

Brittany Wilson, Unmanly men : refigurations of masculinity in Luke-Acts

A fascinating study of how Luke questions cultural assumptions in his time about “masculinity.” From the official Description:

Of all Luke’s male characters, Wilson maintains that four in particular problematize elite masculine norms: namely, Zechariah (the father of John the Baptist), the Ethiopian eunuch, Paul, and, above all, Jesus. She further explains that these men do not protect their bodily boundaries nor do they embody corporeal control, two interrelated male gender norms. Indeed, Zechariah loses his ability to speak, the Ethiopian eunuch is castrated, Paul loses his ability to see, and Jesus is put to death on the cross.

With these bodily “violations,” Wilson argues, Luke points to the all-powerful nature of God and in the process reconfigures–or refigures–men’s own claims to power. Luke, however, not only refigures the so-called prerogative of male power, but he refigures the parameters of power itself. According to Luke, God provides an alternative construal of power in the figure of Jesus and thus redefines what it means to be masculine. Thus, for Luke, “real” men look manifestly unmanly. Wilson’s findings in Unmanly Men will shatter long-held assumptions in scholarly circles and beyond about gendered interpretations of the New Testament, and how they can be used to understand the roles of the Bible’s key characters.

Justo Gonzalez, The Story Luke Tells: Luke’s Unique Witness to the Gospel

A short, easy to read introduction to key themes in Luke. Great for a Bible study supplement or preaching help.

Other Gospels Recommendations

The Cambridge Companion to the Gospels

Getting a bit old now (2006), but still a very handy resource for studying the Gospels.

Richard Bauckham, The Gospels for All Christians: Rethinking the Gospel Audiences

This is an influential study that has challenged the assumption the Luke and the other Gospels were written for exclusive or narrow communities only. A must-read!