What Are They Saying about Luke?

Mark Anthony Powell's WHAT ARE THEY SAYING ABOUT LUKE? was published in 1989 and was hailed as a concise summary of the vast scholarship pertaining to the Gospel of Luke and touches on its companion, Acts of the Apostles. The book covers the major theories concerning Luke: its author and community concerns, the sources of the Gospel and Acts, how the author sees the person of Jesus Christ, and the spiritual and pastoral concerns of the writings. Powell points out that in many ways the gospel broke new ground since it was the first work to deal with the fact that the end of the world was not happening as soon as many Christians had anticipated and how this shaped the theology of Luke. He also pays attention to the ways in which Luke's idea of discipleship differs from the other gospels and the importance of community in Luke/Acts. One of Powell's important observations is the foresight that the author of Luke/Acts had in regard to theology and social issues. Powell agrees with those scholars who believe that the author was not only writing about the needs and concerns of the immediate community that would have first heard the words, but also other communities known to the author that were yet to hear the gospel. This information was somewhat new at the time and has been developed further in recent years. At this point, a book written in 1989 about a biblical work can seem out of date and since Paulist Press has updated many of the volumes in the What Are they Saying series, an update may be in the works, but the older date should not deter people from using this book. It is still one of the best introductory volumes about Luke available and it's written in an informative and inviting manner. Powell's bibliography is an excellent resource for anyone studying Luke and many of Powell's findings can serve as a good basis for current Lukan scholarship.

I wanted to learn more about what the general schools of thought were concerning the Gospel According the St Luke and "What are they saying about Luke" is a great place to start. The book take a great approach, with each chapter discussing a different aspect of the third Gospel - authorship, the history and cultural aspects surrounding the Gospel, the audience, themes, etc. The book discussion major sources, research, and analysis from biblical scholars around the world (well, mostly American and European) and outlines the scholars' arguments as they relate to the theme of the chapter (e.g., a chapter on Salvation would contain the main premsies of the recent major scholarly analysis of Luke.) Chapters are short and written for the serious layman: not too 'heady' or scholarly or not alot of jargon or technical language. That doesn't meant that the book doesn't educate you, though. The author explains key themes, terms, and points about the different aspects in Luke. Also it has a great bibliography at the end. The main shortcoming of this book is that it was published in 1990 and I am not sure if it's been updated since then. Therefore, there may be new studies on Luke published since then that aren't covered. Regardless, this is a concise, highly readable, and informative source for understanding the scholarly discussion on the Gospel According the St Luke.