Are Luke’s Community Summaries in Acts 2 and 4 a Cultural Appeal
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21447158 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jason S Wendel (0000-0003-0152-0959, Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 607-629 |
| Publication date | 2024-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal for the Study of the New Testament (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0142-064X • E-ISSN: 1745-5294 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0142064x241226936 |
| OpenAlex | W4392651199 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 17 |
Scholars have long suggested that Luke employs idealized, philosophical language to describe the life of the Christ-believing community in Acts 2.44–47 and 4.32–35 for the purpose of garnering social capital for the movement. In defense of this case, many scholars point to the similar cultural appeal evident in descriptions of the communal life of the Essenes in the works of Josephus and Philo. Against this consensus, I argue that the communal summaries of Acts 2 and 4, unlike the comparable accounts in Josephus and Philo, do not share enough distinctive language or themes with any of the various philosophical traditions to merit the claim that Luke alludes to them. Undue attention to these unlikely parallels distracts from the way Luke’s allusion to LXX Deuteronomy, which stands on firmer ground, rhetorically portrays the early Christian community as fulfilling the ideals set down in the Law of Moses—a credible legitimizing technique within an intra-Jewish apologetic context
Aesthetics · Allusion · Appeal · Art · Context (archaeology) · Josephus · Judaism · Linguistics · Literature · New Testament · Parallels · Political science · Sociology · Theology · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Historical and Linguistic Studies · History · Law · Philosophy · Theology and Canon Law Studies
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |