In this study James McConnell addresses the concept of authoritative testimony in Luke-Acts. Specifically, he argues that particular elements in the narrative of Luke-Acts can be understood as instances of the topos of divine testimony through utterances and deeds, considered in some ancient rhetorical handbooks to be the most authoritative form of testimony when seeking to persuade an audience. McConnell claims the gods' testimony was used in ancient law courts and political speeches to persuade a judge of a defendant's guilt or innocence, and in attempts in public forums to convince others of a particular course of action. Similarly, the topos is used in ancient narratives and biographies to legitimate certain characters and discredit others. The instances of the topos of God's speech (both oral and through OT citations) and deeds in Luke-Acts are functioning in the same way.

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Festschrift in honor of Arie de Kuiper, a Dutch theologian in Indonesia.

Enthroned above all creation towers the exalted, glorified Christ. Descending into the darknest recesses of human agony and sin reaches the warm, caring Jesus. These two are the same person. Luke's testimony introduces us to this man become God-God the Son. He comes into our world already bearing a divine nature, already carrying divine qualities. His birth is a miracle; he is "Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11) The most distinguishing element of this line-by-line, word-by-word commentary is its use of Latter-day Saint scriptures-the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price-to illuminate Luke's Gospel. For example, important LDS doctrines arise from Jesus' activity in the spirit world immediately after his death. More than all other Gospel accounts, Luke captures the compassion and love of the Savior. Such sweet concern manifests itself particularly for the downtrodden and those forced to the margins of society. Within his text, Luke discloses the deep, divine

The ancient world often thought in terms of physiognomics—the idea that character can be discerned by studying outward, physical features. That physical descriptions carry moral freight in characterization has been largely missed in modern biblical scholarship, and this study brings that to the forefront. Specifically, this is a study of one particular physical marker—blindness. When we look at Greco-Roman literature, a kind of literary topos begins to emerge, a set of assumptions that ancient audiences would typically make when encountering blind characters. Luke-Acts makes use of such a topos in a way that becomes programmatic, serving as a kind of interpretive key to Luke-Acts that is generally unnoticed in modern scholarship.

Repentance and conversion are key topics in New Testament interpretation and in Christian life. However, the study of conversion in early Christianity has been plagued by psychological assumptions alien to the world of the New Testament. Leading New Testament scholar Joel Green believes that careful attention to the narrative of Luke-Acts calls for significant rethinking about the nature of Christian conversion. Drawing on the cognitive sciences and examining key evidence in Luke-Acts, this book emphasizes the embodied nature of human life as it explores the life transformation signaled by the message of conversion, offering a new reading of a key aspect of New Testament theology.

This book is a challenge to both historical-critical and 'pure' literary-critical approaches to the subject of the Holy Spirit in Luke-Acts through a new and holistic perspective, 'dynamic biblical narrative criticism'. By means of this methodology, Hur attempts to explore the Lukan Spirit within the broader repertoire of biblical narrative, the Jewish Bible. This approach allows Hur to elucidate the narrative role of the Spirit in Luke-Acts in terms of point of view, characterisation, plot, and function and their effects on the implied reader. This wide-ranging study also considers theological implications raised for today's readers.