the gospel of luke
The Gospel of Luke is a document of faith rather than a biography of the life and times of Jesus. It is believed to be the work of a gentile Christian(s) for a gentile Christian community in order to portray their desired portrait of Jesus. It is possible for Luke to be placed as a Syrian of Antioch, a "master of Greek" both Koine and elegant, a physician friend of Paul. The time at which his gospel was thought to have been written, A.D80 - A.D85, there were internal and external pressures creating a hostile environment amongst his community. Although generally peaceful and calm it was a time of imminent Christian persecution. This can be inferred as one of Lukes' rationale for the development of his gospel. Many scholars believe that the purpose of Lukes Gospel, in light of his preface, is not an apology in the form of a letter to high officials in the Roman Empire. The addressee "...most excellent Theophilus..." has no historical records proving that he ever existed, tarnishing the possibility of this. The name itself meaning 'lover of God' although common contradicts this also. A popular belief is that Luke wrote the gospel in address to all lovers of God, Christians in particular in order to clarify the story of Jesus a
The parable of the two debtors has been discussed as a key phrase of the passage applying to both the sinful woman and Simon the Pharisee. Similarly to his other interpretations, Fitzmyer goes into great detail when discussing the relationship between the two. Contrary to Morris, Fitzmyer believes that the application of the parable to Simon and the woman is not so much to contrast their deeds but to "stress the love manifested in them". Morris is of the opinion that the parable, which did not need a "great deal of insight to recognise who would love the benefactor more", displays the situation at hand, exhibiting to Simon that he had not given appropriate treatment to an honoured guest, thus did not love Him as much as the sinful woman did. Thompson concurs with Morris stating that the woman, by paying more than just courtesies to Jesus, "costly not only in price but also in her courage in entering a crowded room" had shown her recognition of Jesus' importance and power to help her, also revealing her need for forgiveness through her love for Him. Many aspects of Luke's book of good news have been subject to interpretation from various theologians. Three such theologians discuss the woman "who was a sinner" as a key figure of Luke's passage 7:36-50. Thompson addresses her with the purpose of Luke's gospel in mind. Jesus' dealing with a woman who was not respectable ties in with the Lukan theme of "Gods search for the lost". Fitzmyer tends to veer away from the relevance of this woman's presence in the story, focusing on her identity, speculating that the women was either Mary of Bethany or Mary Magdalene. Morris dismisses this as irrelevant, stating that the woman described as "a sinner, which probably meant prostitute" need not be identified as her description alone conveys her relevance to the story. Evans, C, New International Biblical Commentary, 1990, Hendrickson Publishing, United States of America Schweizer E, The Good News According To Luke, 1984, John Knox Press, Georgia Lk 7:36-50, the story of a sinful woman forgiven, contains many examples of the devices used by Luke in
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Approximate Word count = 1426
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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