This study traces the debate surrounding Luke's use of the Gospel of Mark and special sources, such as Proto-Luke, in a section of the passion narrative (Lk 22,54-23,25). The survey covers roughly the period from the 1880's to 1997. Part I details the development from P. Feine to the 1960's. Part II begins with G. Schneider continuing up through 1997. In treating each scholar's position, the author reviews their underlying Synoptic theory, their source theory in the passion in general, then the trial of Pilate, and finally the trial before Herod. Part III is devoted to an interpretation of Lk 23,6 - 16. Part IV contains the list of abbreviations, the bibliography, and three appendices: (1) Special LQ vocabulary and constructions according to J. Weiss; (2) Lukan priority theories; and (3) the Gospel of Peter and its relation to the Herod pericope. Part IV concludes with the name index. The Lukan Passion Narrative will be particularly useful to those concerned with Luke's redactional technique, Source theories, Minor Agreements, and the history of exegesis.

The book defends and develops the argument for a non-Markan basis for the Gospel of Luke.

The goal of this redaction-critical investigation is to determine what in Luke 22 is special to Luke, to assess its origin, and to uncover Luke's purpose in using this material. Unlike earlier studies, Soards concentrates on lines of thought that link the chapter with the Gospel as a whole. The author's conclusion is that though Luke did not use a single coherent source other than Mark for this chapter, his diverse material was chosen in order to advance Luke's distinctive interests in Christology, eschatology and ecclesiology. Christologically, Jesus is shown as in charge of the Passion events and as the realization of a divine plan; eschatologically, the Passion is portrayed as inaugurating the era of the Last Days; ecclesiologically, Jesus's attitude to his disciples functions as instruction for Luke's readers about their role in God's plan.

Jerome Neyrey brings a remarkably enlightened approach to the Passion Narrative, and to Luke's particular version of it. The book begins where previous studies leave off, for it goes beyond traditional questions of source and historicity and treats the Lukan Passion Narrative from the standpoint of redaction criticism. Neyrey offers a fresh literary analysis of the text, along with significant thematic and theological insights into Luke's version of Jesus's Passion. Five major episodes in the Passion Narrative are treated: The Farewell Address at the Last Supper, the Garden, Jesus's Trials, his Address to the Women, and the Crucifixion. Although rich in detail, this book continually offers a unified view of the text; readers are constantly offered overviews, summaries of the data, and interpretation of it. The book breaks new ground in suggesting a distinctive Lukan soteriology of the cross and a corresponding Christology. Study of the faith of the dying Jesus becomes a major clue for seeing Jesus as the New Adam in Luke-Acts. This book significantly advances our reading of Luke, especially by the way Acts is brought to bear as an interpretive clue to Luke's whole project, Luke-Acts. Contemporary interpretation of Luke demands study of the way Lukan structures and themes are continued and confirmed in Acts, which holds true especially for the Passion Narrative. Luke brings the story of Jesus into harmony with the story of his church.

In this study Heather Gorman analyzes Luke's portrayal of Jesus' death in light of the ancient rhetorical tradition, particularly the progymnasmata and the rhetorical handbooks. In addition to providing a detailed, up-to-date exegetical study of Luke 22:66--23:49, she argues three things. First, through the strategic placement of rhetorical figures and the use of common topics associated with refutation and confirmation, Luke structures his passion narrative as a debate about Jesus' innocence, which suggests that one of Luke's primary concerns is to portray Jesus as politically innocent. Second, ancient examples of synkrisis suggest that part of the purpose of Luke's characterization of Jesus in the passion narrative, especially when set in parallel to Paul and Stephen in Acts, was to set up Jesus as a model for his followers lest they face similar persecution or death. Third, Luke's special material and his variations from Mark are explicable in terms of ancient compositional techniques, especially paraphrase and narration, and thus recourse to a special Passion Source is unnecessary.

"The Passion is the climactic event in each of the gospels. These volumes elucidate the passion in its historical background and explore its theological breadth and depth."--Back cover

From a Korean perspective, this book examines how Luke's Passion Narrative constructs the space-time of the Reign of God both in contest to and in compliance with that of Rome and shows how Luke's colonial relations complicate the Gospel's theological perspectives.