Luke's gospel is not infrequently referred to as the gospel of mercy. This declaration has rarely, if at all, been seriously subjected to a critical investigation of its validity and the appropriateness of such a nomenclature. In particular, there has been little recognition of subtle and significant distinctions that can be made between mercy and compassion. This thesis therefore seeks to lay bare how the evangelist employed gospel source materials and his own literary talent to create and compose a sequence of narrative moments that lends itself to what is proposed here, especially a proper articulation of compassion as revealed by Luke's Jesus.
Limiting its broader investigative focus to Lk 3:1-9:50 this study is primarily interested in Lk 6:36, its role within the oft neglected Sermon on the Plain (Lk 6:20-49), its significance for the content and composition of Lk 7, and then secondarily its connection with the narrative blocks found either side of Lk 6-7, where of particular note is the programmatic sermon of Lk 4:16-30. In this purview a keen eye on detail and patterns relative to word(s) and deed(s) makes it possible to discern certain key theological and Christological authorial assumptions.
Specifically, it is through this purposeful depiction of God and Jesus in relation to humankind that Luke insightfully initiates the reader into the mission and ministry of the Christ and his chosen disciples. Observing closely what this Jesus says and does sheds light on the import of extended meaning attaching itself to Luke's writing.
To comprehend this better it proves helpful to analyse the meaning and force of Lk 6:36 in its Sermon context, in Luke's larger narrative and within the broad spectrum of ideas that derive from biblical, linguistic, philosophical and theological discussions. Lk 6:36 in translation thus becomes the point of departure for a more expansive treatment of this sometimes elusive theme.
Attempting to find the right, appropriately nuanced word in English helps establish an appreciation for the richer strands of meaning that attach to the mercy/compassion realm of language and that with certain conditioning have been either overshadowed or lost sight of altogether. Acquiring that orientation to the biblical concept evoked by Lk 6:36 can only be gained by an investigation that attentively inspects the palette of Hebrew and Greek terminology. A surprising array of interconnected yet distinct words, emphases and associations of image come as a result.
When closely examined alongside the linguistic and historical data Luke's composition confirms that the "compassion" Jesus voices / enacts is thoroughly relational; at its core is a personal, life-giving parent-child kinship; God is its primary reference point (invoking the notions of imitatio Dei, imago Dei); its paradigm figure is Jesus whose words and deeds integrally reveal its extravagant, boundary-free, risk-laden outreach to human beings of all sorts; and by natural inclination it redresses suffering and oppression without impossible conditions. To be, feel and act for another in this way is measured ultimately not by a human but a divine standard.
The investigative method of this thesis is a redaction-critical / composition-critical analysis of Lukan gospel material where "compassion" is best examined, defined and demonstrated. As a matter of course this approach accepts that Luke is both redactor of received materials (holding to the majority hypothesis on Synoptic sources) and author of a narrative with its own foci, emphases and theological character. Thus to define "compassion" through the words and deeds of the Lukan Jesus is to enter a narrative world virtually unexplored until now.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/243333 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Waldie, Kevin James, n/a |
| Publisher | University of Otago. Department of Theology and Religious Studies |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | http://policy01.otago.ac.nz/policies/FMPro?-db=policies.fm&-format=viewpolicy.html&-lay=viewpolicy&-sortfield=Title&Type=Academic&-recid=33025&-find), Copyright Kevin James Waldie |
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