LXX Septuagint
NASB New American Standard Bible
NICNT New International Commentary on the New Testament
NIGTC New International Greek Testament Commentary
NIV New International Version
NKJV New King James Version
NLT New Living Translation
NovT Novum Testamentum
NRSV New Revised Standard Version
NT New Testament
NTL New Testament Library
NTS New Testament Studies
OT Old Testament
PNTC The Pillar New Testament Commentary
PRSt Perspectives in Religious Studies
RevExp Review and Expositor
RSV Revised Standard Version
ScEs Science et esprit
SNTSMS Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series
StBibLit Studies in Biblical Literature (Lang)
TJ Trinity Journal
TS Theological Studies
TynBul Tyndale Bulletin
WBC Word Biblical Commentary
WTJ Westminster Theological Journal
WUNT Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament
ZNW Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der älteren Kirche
Ancient Sources
Jewish Sources
Apocrypha
Bar Baruch
Sir Sirach/Ecclesiasticus
Tob Tobit
Wis Wisdom of Solomon
Dead Sea Scrolls
1QM War Scroll
1QSa Rule of the Congregation (appendix a to 1QS)
4Q174 Eschatological Midrash
4Q252 Commentary on Genesis A, formerly Patriarchal Blessings or Pesher Genesis
4Q285 Sefer Hamilḥamah
4Q521 Messianic Apocalypse
11QMelch Melchizedek
Josephus
Ag. Ap. Against Apion
Ant. Jewish Antiquities
J.W. Jewish War
Life The Life
Philo of Alexandria
Abraham On the Life of Abraham
Embassy On the Embassy to Gaius
Moses On the Life of Moses
Pseudepigrapha
2 Bar. 2 Baruch (Syriac Apocalypse)
1 En. 1 Enoch (Ethiopic Apocalypse)
2 En. 2 Enoch (Slavonic Apocalypse)
3 En. 3 Enoch (Hebrew Apocalypse)
Jub. Jubilees
Pss. Sol. Psalms of Solomon
Sib. Or. Sibylline Oracles
T. Dan Testament of Dan
T. Jud. Testament of Judah
T. Levi Testament of Levi
T. Mos. Testament of Moses
Rabbinic Literature
ʿAbod. Zar. Avodah Zarah
ʾAbot Avot
b. Babylonian Talmud
B. Bat. Bava Batra
B. Meṣ. Bava Metzi’a
B. Qam. Bava Qamma
Ber. Berakhot
ʿErub. Eruvin
Ḥag Hagigah
Ketub. Ketubbot
m. Mishnah
Meg. Megillah
Nid. Niddah
Qidd. Qiddushin
Šabb. Shabbat
Sanh. Sanhedrin
Šeb. Shevi’it
Šeqal. Sheqalim
y. Jerusalem Talmud
Yad. Yadayim
Early Christian Sources
Clement of Alexandria
Strom. Miscellanies
Eusebius
Hist. eccl. Ecclesiastical History
Irenaeus
Haer. Against Heresies
Jerome
Vir. ill. De viris illustribus
Tertullian
Marc. Against Marcion
Other Greco-Roman Sources
OGIS Orientis Graeci Inscriptiones Selectae, edited by Wilhelm Dittenberger, 2 vols. (Leipzig: Hirzel, 1903–1905)
Dio Chrysostom
Or. Orations
Euripides
Herc. fur. Madness of Hercules
Herodotus
Hist. Histories
Homer
Il. Iliad
Od. Odyssey
Ovid
Fast. Fasti
Philostratus
Vit. Apoll. Vita Apollonii
Pliny the Elder
Nat. Natural History
Plutarch
Alex. Alexander
Seneca
Ep. Epistulae morales
Marc. Ad Marciam de consolatione
Stobaeus
Flor. Florilegium
Tacitus
Ann. Annales
Hist. Historiae
Introduction
Since many have undertaken to write a commentary on the Gospel of Luke, I too decided, after accepting an invitation from the editors of the New Covenant Commentary Series, to write an accessible explanation of this narrative on the life of Jesus for you, my dear readers. I hope this journey of discovery will be as enjoyable and edifying for you as it has been for me.
Alongside the authors of Matthew, Mark, and John, the third evangelist paints his distinctive portrait of Jesus while offering the added bonus of a sequel. The Acts of the Apostles carries the narrative beyond Jesus’ ascension into the burgeoning mission of the early church. It is useful to refer to the two documents, Luke and Acts, as Luke-Acts, despite their separation in the canonical ordering by the Gospel of John. Not only do Luke and Acts share the same author and identify Theophilus as the dedicatee (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1), the mission of Jesus in the Gospel is continued by the apostles and the early church in its sequel. Many echoes of Luke are found in Acts. For example, the range of healings performed by Jesus is mirrored in the miracles