The Gospel of Luke as Masterpiece

Book excerpt: This volume offers fifteen studies on the Gospel of Luke by Nico Riemersma, who specialized in this gospel. It contains both articles in which special pericopes from the Gospel of Luke are central (Mary’s visit to Elizabeth in Luke 1,39-56; the twelve-year-old Jesus in de temple, in Luke 2,40-52; the baptism of Jesus in 3,21-23 and his testing in 4,1-13; the Fernheilung of a centurion’s slave in 7,1-10 and the raising of a young man at Naïn in 7,11-17) and studies on details (καθεξῆς in Luke 1,3; ἐν τοῖς τοῦ πατρός μου in Luke 2,49; ἐγέρθητι in 7,14 and ὁ ἐρχόμενος in 7,19.20). In addition, there are thematic studies (the parallelism between John and Jesus, Elijah in relationship with John and Jesus; the travelling motif in Luke-Acts) and articles with an eye for the structure (of the overture, 1,5-2,52 and of the whole book, 1,1-24,53). Through ‘close reading’, the book reveals Luke’s high-quality literary form and rich theological content. This meticulous way of reading allows for a deeper understanding of the text, giving this gospel extra shine. This method is extremely helpful in solving text problems that the reader(s) will face.