Acts in Its Ancient Literary Context: A Classicist Looks at the Acts of the Apostles(v. 289 Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement S.)

Here, gathered for the first time, is a collection of Loveday Alexander's critically acclaimed essays on the Acts of the Apostles. In these Alexander addresses the central question: 'What kind of book is Acts?' She approaches the text of Acts with a finely-tuned sense of the complexities of the conventional codes that governed reading and writing in the classical world, and argues that the differences between New Testament texts and contemporary writings in the Graeco-Roman world can be as revealing as the similarities. The collection begins with Alexander's classic analysis of the literary codes governing the preface to Luke's two-volume work, in which she challenges the dominant consensus that the language and structure of the preface evoke the generic conventions of Greek historiography. That insight opens up the possibility of reading Acts alongside other ancient literary genres: the lives of the Greek philosophers, the Greek novels of Chariton and Xenophon of Ephesus, Roman itineraries, Greek and Jewish apologetic, and Latin epic. The process, like the narrative of Acts itself, becomes a rich and evocative voyage of exploration, shedding light both on the varied social worlds of the author and his first readers, and on the complex communication problems underlying the creation of early Christian discourse.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction: How did we get where we are? Beginnings; 2. Luke's Preface in the Pattern of Greek Preface-Writing; 3. Which Greco-Roman Prologues Most Closely Parallel the Lukan Prologues? 4. The Preface to Acts and the Historians; Biography; 5. Acts and Ancient Intellectual Biography; 6. Anecdote and Chreia in the Biographical Tradition (or: 57 Useful Things to do with an Apophthegm); Romance; 7. "In journeyings often": Voyaging in the Acts of the Apostles and in Greek Romance; 8. Narrative Maps: Reflections on the Toponymy of Acts; 9. Fact, Fiction, and the Genre of Acts; 10. Review article on Douglas R. Edwards, Religion and Power; Travel; 11. The Pauline Itinerary and the Archive Of Theophanes; Apologetic; 12. The Acts of the Apostles as an Apologetic Text; Epic; 13. New Testament Narrative and Ancient Epic; Endings; 14. Reading Luke-Acts from Back to Front; Language; 15. Septuaginta, Fachprosa, Imitatio: Albert Wifstrand and the Language of Luke-Acts; Concluding Postscript: Where next?

About the Author :
Loveday Alexander is a Professor of Biblical Studies at the University of Sheffield and a Canon-Theologian of Chester Cathedral. Since training as a classicist at Somerville College, Oxford, she has been exploring the interface between the classical world and the world of the New Testament.

Review :
'In these ten essays Alexander pulls together some of her major contributions to the study of Acts. She exhibits a strong philological base, the ability to write lucid prose animated with verve and wit, and considerable imagination.' --Sanford Lakoff "Alexander conveys her wealth of information and insight in an engaging style. Careful study of these essays will richly repay serious interpreters of Acts." -F. Scott Spencer, Interpretation, January 2009 "Alexander is to be congratulated for the energy and effort she put into these essays..." Chrys C. Caragounis, Review of Biblical Literature, May 2008--Sanford Lakoff "Those writing on Luke-Acts may have been able to sidestep of politely nod to Alexander's work in the past, but with the publication of this collection in anticipation of her upcoming major book on the audience of Acts and a full-scale commentary from Continuum, more direct engagement will be necessary.... Such a student would, however, find here ideas that may change the way we think about Luke's second volume." David K. Delaney, Office of the Bishop, Virginia Synod ELCA Trinity Seminary Review--Sanford Lakoff "Trinity Seminary Review " Alexander is a gifted writer. Her prose is lively and lucid and sprinkled with good humor. Readers of this collection will reap many rewards.--Sanford Lakoff 'These essays, already known and appreciated by serious students of Acts, deserve the opportunity for wider circulation among new audiences.' Matthew L. Skinner, Religious Studies Review, 2008 'No university or theological college library should be without this book.'--Andrew Gregory, Church of England Newspaper, January 2007 "Church Of England Newspaper " 'Although Alexander's work is not primarily intended to tackle the question of historical reliability, it may help us in making progress in this important area.' Bulletin for Biblical Research 20.2 'Loveday exhibits a strong philological base, the ability to write lucid prose animated with verve and wit, and considerable imagination.' 'Much important work on Acts has emerged in collections of essays, to the company of which this book is a worthy accession.' - Richard I. Pervo, Biblica--Sanford Lakoff "Loveday Alexander's work is one of the most learned and stimulating contributions in the English language to the field of Acts studies...I look forward to the publication of her full-length commentary on the Acts." -Osvaldo Padilla, Bulletin for Biblical Research, Vol. 20