Numerous scholars have noted various elements of literary structure in
the Gospel of Luke, many of them patterned, such as chiasm. Several of
these scholars have rigorously explored the significance of such
structure. A common conclusion is that if Luke is consistent with other
ancient writers, then the observation of some elements of patterned
structure, e.g., what has already been discovered in the Gospel,
suggests that there is probably considerably more. This book offers a
comprehensive literary structure for the Gospel of Luke, thoroughly and
critically evaluates it, and ultimately focuses on theology that may be
derived from this structure. As groundwork, the Introduction provides
rigorous tests for assessing the intentionality behind proposals of
parallelism. The first chapter then employs the tests in an evaluation
of Robert C. Tannehill's work on Luke-Acts, which is representative of
studies on correspondences that are not strictly structural in nature.
His contribution enables us to grasp how Luke encourages the reader to
read passages in the light of other passages within the Gospel and,
accordingly, provides an interpretive aid for our study. The second
chapter applies the tests to the Lukan correspondences suggested by
Charles H. Talbert, which are inherently structural. His analysis of
Luke-Acts and other Greco-Roman literature provides a strong theoretical
foundation for our own proposal. Chapter three surveys OT, Greco-Roman,
and NT texts that bear a similar patterned structure to what we discover
in Luke. The structure of Luke is presented and carefully evaluated in
chapter four, and the theological implications of that structure are
developed in chapter five, shedding much fresh light on Lukan theology.
Luke's outline, and the structure of his central section in particular,
continues to puzzle readers more so than with any other Gospel.
McComiskey's proposals make reasonable sense of the outline, and
significant theological applications result. - Craig Blomberg, Denver
Seminary In the application of new methods of literary analysis to the
New Testament the Gospel of Luke has proved to be a fruitful testing
ground. Dr. McComiskey's thesis makes a significant fresh addition to
this area of research with its penetrating study of the structure of the
Gospel. This is one of the most original contributions to Lucan study of
recent years. - I. Howard Marshall, University of Aberdeen Attention to
structure is an important avenue into meaning, and McComiskey's study
makes a serious contribution to the study of the structure of the Gospel
of Luke. McComiskey establishes an extensive set of criteria for testing
structural proposals, and applies them rigorously to his own proposal:
his investment in rigorous testing is unparalleled in previous studies
on the structure of Luke. Even those who are not finally persuaded by
the structure in its entirety are likely to conclude that he is,
nonetheless, onto something here. And McComiskey clearly lays out the
kinds of contribution to meaning that his structure might offer. - John
Nolland, Academic Dean and Director of Post-Graduate Studies, Trinity
College, Bristol, UK Douglas McComiskey studied at Trinity Evangelical
Divinity School, Illinois, and then served as a Baptist pastor in
Western Australia. Subsequently he studied under the supervision of
Professor I. Howard Marshall at the University of Aberdeen. After
teaching at North American Baptist Seminary he took up his present
position as Professor of New Testament at Ridley College, Melbourne,
Australia.
