The Narrative Unity of Luke-Acts 1: A Literary Interpretation

by Robert C. Tannehill

Robert C. Tannehill's 2-volume work, The Narrative Unity of Luke-Acts, is full of sharp insights. He points out, f.i., the basic structural device of using prophetic quotations & long speeches to introduce each of the major figures in his history:
Lk 3: John the Baptist is introduced with a lengthy excerpt from his preaching & quotation from Isaiah 40.
Lk 4: Jesus is introduced with a sermon at Nazareth, describing the fulfillment of Isaiah 61.
Acts 2: Acts' Petrine phase is introduced by Peter's Pentecost sermon, with the important quotation from Joel 2.
Acts 13: Acts' Pauline phase is introduced by a sermon from Paul concluding with a sharp rebuke from Habakkuk.
One thing Tannehill draws out from this is that "phrases used to describe the mission of John the Baptist are reused in describing the work of Jesus' followers" (p.49). John goes as a messenger before Jesus (Lk 7:27) & when Jesus approaches Jerusalem He sends messengers ahead of Him (9:52; same Greek in both passages). Even in Acts, Peter instructs the people in the same way John had done: When they ask "What shall we do" (Acts 2:37; cf. Lk 3:10,12,14), Peter tells them to repent & be baptized for the remission of sins. At the end of Acts, Paul is saying virtually the same thing (Acts 26:20 & Lk 3:8). As he summarizes, "Jesus' witnesses, like John, are prophetic preachers of repentance. What John began, they continue, for John's call to repentance remains important. The narrator's portrait of John has a continuing significance for the narrative, for in significant ways John is a 'prototype of the Xian evangelist'" (p.49).

Genres: Biblical Studies, Religion

349 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Kendall Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really solid narrative reading of the Gospel of Luke. Tannehill excels in describing what the Gospel of Luke is trying to communicate through its narrative while avoiding the overly technical descriptions of early narrative critics and some more contemporary critics who lead with particular pet theorists. Tannehill’s thematic approach works surprisingly well for a narrative reading. He has a few odd theological hang ups here and there, but overall this was informative and insightful.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

These two volumes by Tannehill are so helpful in seeing the narrative unity in Luke-Acts. Anyone planning to teach through either of these books will not regret picking up these volumes and reading them. Nothing surpasses your own inductive reading and observation of the inspired Scriptures but to have an experienced guide point out the wildlife on a safari will always enhance the experience and get you pictures you may not see for yourself!

Pastor-teachers will grow in their understanding of the biblical theology of Luke-Acts and, thus, deepen and broaden their interpretation and application of individual passages.

Here are some quotes regarding Tannehill’s approach and methodology.

“Luke-Acts is the longest and most complex narrative in the New Testa-ment. It was written by an author of literary skill and rich imagination who had a complex vision of the significance of Jesus Christ and of the mission in which he is the central figure. This complex vision is presented in a unified literary work of two volumes” (1).

“Luke-Acts has a unified plot because there is a unifying purpose of God behind the events which are narrated, and the mission of Jesus and his witnesses represents that purpose being carried out through human action” (2).

“Although I may appear to jump around in the Lukan text in some of the chapters, the selection of material for discussion is not arbitrary. It is determined by the appearance of the characters that are the subject of the chapter. Within the chapters I am often following the order of relevant material in Luke, and I hope to preserve a sense of the forward movement of the story in doing so. However, it is sometimes important to point out connections with other material which may occur considerably earlier or later. Although my procedure will make it more difficult for readers to find the discussion of a particular passage, an index is provided for this purpose. I cannot provide detailed commentary on all passages nor discuss all issues in the interpretation of Luke in a work of this kind. My aim is to highlight what I believe the narrator is highlighting through the literary design of the work, especially when this leads to new perspectives in reading Luke. I hope to avoid the ‘flattening’ effect of much commentary, in which a narrative's main interests and emphases are lost in the host of details discussed” (5).

[Sarah Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great narrative analysis, I read this for a Seminary course on Luke. This is unlike a regular “verse-by-verse” commentary, as Tannehill specifically focuses on characters throughout Luke-Acts and their contributions towards advancing the plot - displaying who Christ is who what He has come to do through their interactions with Him. For this reason, the book isn’t structured to explain each event in Luke bit by bit but ties character interactions to greater themes; though it follows along the narrative well. I specifically enjoyed Chapter 4, focused on the oppressed and excluded, where Tannehill sought to explore various meanings of Jesus’ interactions with the oppressed and excluded throughout Luke.

[Benjamin Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book helped me understand the Gospel of Luke in a way that I never would have thought of myself. This is not an easy read but, alongside of Neyrey "The Social World of Luke-Acts: Models for Interpretation", the reader begins to understand what it means to read the genre of Gospel.

[Nick Roark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illuminating

[Sagely · Rating 4 out of 5]

I happened upon this volume (and its companion) when a retiring pastor and dear friend decided his study library was more than he wanted to move across country. My library gained some great resources that snowy afternoon.

I fished The Narrative Unity of Luke-Acts out from all the other books in the pile because it's Advent. Advent in Year C means venturing into Luke. How serendipitous!

I've only ventured into the portions of TNULA that deal with some of the first chapters: the Magnificat, the Benedictus, the introduction to John's ministry. Maybe later material takes a sudden downturn, but so far, I'm impressed with Tannehill's literary attention.

Now I realize that the goal of these two volumes is not the same as Joel Green's NICNT or Justo González' Belief commentary. Tannehill has an argument to make about, well, the unity of Luke-Acts in TNULA.

But TNULA does offer great attention to each passage. Better attention, frankly, than I found in the other two. Tannehill works to read each portion of the text in light of intratextual connections in Luke-Acts. Whether or not this is true of the composition history of these texts, it makes for great canonical criticism and good preaching.

I highly recommend referring to TNULA next time you find yourself studying Luke-Acts.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great commentary that focuses on the literary themes of Luke. Tannehill does a better job of this than any other author of the conservative Luke commentaries. The literary themes are crucial because they help you see what Luke's primary message is through our the book and in Acts as well as they are one unit.

It is organized by theme not verse by verse but don't let it deter you. All you have to do is look up your passage in the scripture index and you can quickly find the section you are studying. The organization by theme is important because this helps to highlight the themes throughout the book. By linking them together it clearly shows the repetitions used by Luke.(Some chapters are "Jesus and the Disciples" and "Jesus and the excluded and oppressed", "Jesus and the crowds")

I would highly recommend this volume in conjunction with a commentary that is strong in the historical background of Luke. With the two together you will have a great resource to understand Luke's account of the good news found in Jesus.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although somewhat boring for me, this text was perhaps the best used for the course on Luke taught at Loyola's Institute of Pastoral Studies. It was the best in that it stuck to the texts rather than extrapolating from them with some grand assumption of their authority.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad. A little dry, but a thoughtful, comprehensive look at Luke from a narrative standpoint. Lots of excellent little tidbits that will reshape my understanding of this Gospel.