The Roman Army and the Expansion of the Gospel: The Role of the Centurion in Luke-Acts

Alexander Kyrychenko

Published by De Gruyter 2014

The Roman Army and the Expansion of the Gospel

The Role of the Centurion in Luke-Acts

Alexander Kyrychenko

Volume 203 in the series Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110347265

Overview
Contents

About this book

Although Roman centurions appear at crucial stages in the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, the significance of the centurion’s office for the development of Luke’s story has not been adequately researched. To fill in that void, this study engages the relevant Greco-Roman and Jewish sources that reflect on the image of the Roman military and applies the findings to the analysis of the role of the Roman centurion in the narrative of Luke-Acts. It argues that contemporary evidence reveals a common perception of the Roman centurion as a principal representative of the Roman imperial power, and that Luke-Acts employs centurions in the role of prototypical Gentile believers in anticipation of the Christian mission to the Empire.
Chapter 1 outlines the current state of the question. Chapter 2 surveys the background data, including the place of the centurion in the Roman military organization, the role of the Roman army as the basis of the ruling power, the army’s function in the life of the civilian community, Luke’s military terminology, and the Roman military regiments in Luke-Acts. Chapter 3 reviews Greco-Roman writings, including Polybius, Julius Caesar, Sallust, Livy, Velleius Paterculus, Tacitus, Appian, Cornelius Nepos, Plutarch, Suetonius, Plautus, Cicero, Virgil, Horace, Petronius, Quintilian, Epictetus, Juvenal, Fronto, Apuleius, as well as non-literary evidence. Chapter 4 engages the Jewish witnesses, including 1 Maccabees, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Jewish pseudepigrapha, Philo, Josephus, Talmudic sources, and non-literary sources. Chapter 5 examines the relevant accounts of Luke-Acts, focusing on Luke 7:1–10 and Acts 10:1–11:18. The Conclusion reviews the findings of the study and summarizes the results.

Author / Editor information

Alexander Kyrychenko, Emory University, Atlanta, USA.

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Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Acknowledgements Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	3
2. Luke-Acts in the Roman Military Setting Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	9
3. The Image of the Roman Soldier in Greco-Roman Sources Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	46
4. The Image of the Roman Soldier in Jewish Sources Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	91
5. The Roman Military in Luke-Acts Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	143
6. Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	185
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	190
Index of Modern Authors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	203
Index of Subjects Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	206
Index of Primary Sources Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	212

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter
Pages
- Front matter: 10
- Main content: 228
Keywords: Acts; Gospel of Luke; centurion

eBook

Published: January 31, 2014
ISBN: 9783110347265

Hardcover

Published: January 20, 2014
ISBN: 9783110344028