Das Zeichen des Widerspruchs.Die Prophetie des Simeon (Lk 2,34) und die lukanischen Deutungen des Todes Jesu

It is an open question how important the death of Jesus is in Lukan theology. The logic of narration in the Gospel and in Acts may help to find a new argument. The prophecy of Simeon identifies the dialectic of falling and rising as structure of Lukan soteriology. In this framework various motives – the persecuted prophet, the contrast of death and resurrection, and the “must” of the passion – get their specific meaning. At the end of both, the ministry of Jesus and the public mission of Paul, in the inner circle of followers the death of Jesus is proclaimed as decisive mean of eschatological salvation.

Constructing Christian identity in 'Luke-Acts': the purpose of Pharisees in Lukan theology

The purpose of this article is to analyze the references made by the author of the third gospel and the book of Acts (so-called Luke) to members of the Christian communities in the 1st century CE who defended that Christians had to fully observe Torah laws and who especially defended circumcision for Gentile Christians. Luke refers to them as ‘Pharisees’ in Acts 15, 5. Indirect allusions to these Christian Pharisees are ubiquitous in Luke’s work, showing that this issue was very important within his theology. When writing Luke-Acts, Luke was confronted with the sense of orphanhood of the Gentile Christian movement after the Apostle Paul’s death. Careful analysis of his books reveals more clearly the evangelist’s intent to convince his readers that the Gentile Christian movement is heir of the eschatological blessings promised to Judaism.