A Failed Spectacle: The Role of the Crowd in Luke 23


That Jesus’ death is uniquely portrayed as a spectacle of death in Luke’s Gospel is widely acknowledged. Most scholarship has focused on the figure of Jesus, his self-control and emotions, to debate how much it concurs with the ancient ideal of noble death. Little attention, however, has been given...

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Bibliographic Details
Subtitles:Visual Rhetoric and Biblical Interpretation
Main Author: Whitaker, Robyn J. 1974- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2017
In: Biblical interpretation
Year: 2017, Volume: 25, Issue: 3, Pages: 399-416
IxTheo Classification:CD Christianity and Culture
HC New Testament
TB Antiquity
Further subjects:B spectacle
 crowd
 crucifixion
 gladiator
 noble death

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Parallel Edition:Non-electronic
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Summary:That Jesus’ death is uniquely portrayed as a spectacle of death in Luke’s Gospel is widely acknowledged. Most scholarship has focused on the figure of Jesus, his self-control and emotions, to debate how much it concurs with the ancient ideal of noble death. Little attention, however, has been given to the role of the crowd in Luke’s passion. This paper analyzes the role of the crowd in Luke’s passion to argue that Luke has framed the cross in a manner fitting of death in the arena. By emphasizing the crowd’s size, placement, and role in the drama, I argue that Luke presents Jesus’ death as a failed spectacle and suggest some political and theological ramifications.

ISSN:1568-5152
Contains:Enthalten in: Biblical interpretation
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15685152-00253p06