The Collapse of Society in Luke 23: A Thucydidean Take on Jesus’ Passion

Στάσις is an important theme in Luke-Acts, but one that remains understudied. Many Lukan scholars equate στάσις with Roman seditio or treason, thereby overlooking the rich philosophical reflection on στάσις in Greek political thought. In this article, I analyse Luke's use of the concept of στάσ...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Jeong, Mark (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Cambridge Univ. Press 2021
In: New Testament studies
Year: 2021, Volume: 67, Issue: 3, Pages: 317-335
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Bible. Lukasevangelium 23 / Passion / Thucydides ca. 460 v. Chr.-400 v. Chr. / stasis / Politics
IxTheo Classification:CG Christianity and Politics
HC New Testament
ZC Politics in general
Further subjects:B stasis
B Thucydides
B Passion
B Gospels
B Politics
B Luke-Acts
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Summary:Στάσις is an important theme in Luke-Acts, but one that remains understudied. Many Lukan scholars equate στάσις with Roman seditio or treason, thereby overlooking the rich philosophical reflection on στάσις in Greek political thought. In this article, I analyse Luke's use of the concept of στάσις in his depiction of Jesus’ trial against the background of Thucydides’ model of στάσις in book 3 of his history. Thucydides’ reflections on στάσις were highly influential for later historians such as Josephus, and I argue that Luke too employs the common topos of στάσις as a violent internal conflict and not an act of rebellion or insurrection to reveal how the conflict between Jesus and his opponents is symptomatic of a deeper inversion of social bonds and language within a community. He does this, I argue, to set the stage for the story of Acts where στάσεις erupt throughout the Empire wherever the gospel is preached.
ISSN:1469-8145
Contains:Enthalten in: New Testament studies
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1017/S0028688520000399