Journal: Bulletin for Biblical Research
Volume: BBR 04:1 (NA 1994)
Article: The Problem Of A Beginning: Israel’s Scriptures In Luke 1-2
Author: Joel B. Green

BBR 4:1 (1994) p. 61

The Problem Of A Beginning: Israel’s Scriptures In Luke 1-2

Joel B. Green

American Baptist Seminary Of The West
And Graduate Theological Union
Berkeley, California

A narratological study of Luke 1-2, focusing above all on an examination of the plethora of echoes of the Abrahamic story of Genesis, leads to the conclusion that the “beginning” of Luke-Acts can be located only in God’s purpose as articulated in the Scriptures of Israel; at this point at least, the framework with which Luke is working is not “promise-fulfillment,” but rather a self-conscious continuation of the redemptive story.

Key words: Luke, Birth Narrative, Luke 1-2, Old Testament in Luke, Beginnings, God’s Purpose, Abraham

Introduction: Luke 1:5-2:52 As The “Beginning” Of Luke-Acts1

Luke 1:1-4 may be the first point of entry into Luke-Acts, but, in terms of the Lukan narrative as such, the beginning of Luke-Acts is the account of Jesus’ birth and childhood. On the one hand, this means it is here that we gain entry into the social world of Luke-Acts—its understanding of reality, its primary institutions, its social dynamics, and the like.2 Here our focus initially will fall elsewhere, on the function of Luke 1:5-2:52 as a harbinger of the story to come. In doing so,

BBR 4:1 (1994) p. 62

however, we will find reason to question whether Luke really wants to posit the birth of Jesus as the “beginning” of this story after all.

To a degree, beginnings set parameters around the nature of the narrative and its concerns. In this sense, beginnings are restrictive, incorporating decisions about what this story might and might not be about. More consequential, though, is the way a narrative beginning opens up possibilities, generates probabilities, and otherwise invites its audience to a full hearing in order to discover its outcome.3 Luke accomplishes this not so much by holding back what will happen; angelic and prophetic voices in Luke 1-2 repeatedly address this question. Rather, the reader is left to wonder how these far-reaching visions of redemption will come to fruition.4 So, at the same time Luke 1:5- 2...