Acts in its Ancient Literary Context: (The Library of New Testament Studies)

Here, gathered for the first time, is a collection of Loveday Alexander's critically acclaimed essays on the Acts of the Apostles. In this collection of essays, 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. This is volume 289 in the Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement series and is also part of the Early Christianity in Context series.

Table of Contents:
1. On a Roman Bookstall: Reading Acts in its Ancient Literary Context  2. The Preface to Acts and the Historians 3. Acts and Ancient Intellectual Biography 4. "In Journeyings Often": Voyaging in the Acts of the Apostles and in Greek Romance 5. Narrative Maps: Reflections on the Toponomy of Acts 6. Fact, Fiction and the Genre of Acts 7. New Testament Narrative and Ancient Epic 8. The Acts of the Apostles as an Apologetic Text 9. Reading Luke-Acts from Back to Front 10. Septuaginta, Fachprosa, Imitatio: Albert Wifstrand and the Language of Luke-Acts Bibliography

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 :
"Alexander is to be congratulated for the energy and effort she put into these essays..." -Chrys C. Caragounis, Review of Biblical Literature, May 2008 '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 "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 '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.'    '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 "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 '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 Alexander is a gifted writer. Her prose is lively and lucid and sprinkled with good humor. Readers of this collection will reap many rewards. 'No university or theological college library should be without this book.' "[T]he book remains a worthy acquisition for academic libraries... as well as those scholars doing research in the literary character of Acts." - Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society "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