The Story Luke Tells: Luke’s Unique Witness to the Gospel
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
Among New Testament writers, who is the best historian? Without a doubt, says Justo González, it’s Luke. Concerned about the particulars of people and events, Luke also gives readers the big picture, positioning the stories of Jesus not just in the history of Israel, but in the history of humanity. Luke tells a simultaneously detailed and grand story of salvation.
González highlights key themes in Luke’s storytelling, including his emphasis of God’s “great reversals,” his keen interest in shared meals and their intimate connection to worship and communion, and his passionate underscoring of both the saving work of Christ and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. González’ conversational style draws readers into Luke’s story with fresh overviews and rich details, showing how Luke invites us to continue his gospel witness today.
In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.
Learn more about Luke as a historian with Luke: Historian and Theologian.
- Highlights key structural and theological themes in Luke’s storytelling
- Shows how Luke’s narrative invites Christians today to continue his witness
- Analyzes Luke’s Gospel and Acts as model historical works
- Luke and the History of Humankind
- Luke and the history of Israel
- Luke and the Great Reversal
- Luke and Gender
- Luke and Salvation
- Food and Drink in Luke’s Theology
- Luke and Worship
- Luke and The Holy Spirit
- Conclusion: Luke’s Open Invitation
Top Highlights
“ Therefore, history, although focusing its attention on the past, is above all a matter of the present.” (Page 2)
“And the building of such chains is precisely the task of all history” (Page 4)
“He is not writing to correct them. He is writing a new history because he has a specific purpose: to make these things known to Theophilus—and, by implication, to the entire generation of Theophilus. The new history is based not on a different past, but on a specific present. The new history becomes necessary because the same events are being read from new perspectives. And this is something every historian knows.” (Page 4)
“In this context, it is interesting to note that at one end and the other of this list of barren women are two acts of conception that are more marvelous than those of Rachel, Rebekah, and Hannah. At the beginning of the chain there is Sarah, an elderly woman, whose womb was dry. At the end, there is Mary, a young virgin.” (Page 17)
“Therefore, typology is not only a matter of an ancient history coming to its culmination in Jesus; it is also a matter of the present, where we find circumstances similar to those that the people of God had to face in earlier times, and present-day believers have the opportunity to show that they are part of that story.” (Pages 22–23)
It is wonderful to have one of our greatest current historians of Christianity writing about the church’s first historian. Justo González introduces us to the heart and mind of Luke as a theological storyteller, revealing Luke’s genius in writing a new history.
—M. Craig Barnes, author, The Pastor as Minor Poet
People and preachers love Luke — the powerful narrative, unforgettable parables, compelling personalities. González’s fresh, new resource brings to the familiar words a scholar’s insight and a historian’s perspective. . . . A highly readable and accessible book that will engage the mind and feed the spirit.
—John M. Buchanan, editor and publisher, Christian Century
In this book Justo González invites us to explore Luke’s Gospel and the book of Acts as twin volumes of the same masterwork. Like any experienced guide, González helps us see what we would otherwise miss: in his company, the journey into Luke’s writings becomes even more engaging and enriching. Never again will I read Luke without drawing on González’s insights, which now seem indispensable.
—Martin B. Copenhaver, coauthor, This Odd and Wondrous Calling
Justo González is a retired United Methodist minister and professor of historical theology. He has published more than 100 books, which have been translated into 10 languages, including the volume on Luke in the Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible series, Heretics for Armchair Theologians, and the Westminster Bible Companion: Revelation.