Images of Judaism in Luke-Acts - Paperback

by Joseph B. Tyson (Author)

In Images of Judaism in Luke-Acts, Joseph B. Tyson addresses the ways in which Jewish people and religious customs are presented in the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. These texts present a wealth of material about Jewish institutions and practices. But these images of Jews and Judaism were shaped by theological and historical concerns of communities that increasingly saw themselves as separate from the Jewish synagogues. Probing questions about the roots of modern anti-Semitism in relationship to the New Testament, Tyson concludes that there is a deep and complex ambivalence in Luke-Acts, making the texts both profoundly pro-Jewish and anti-Jewish. He maintains that an appreciation of this fact is essential for understanding Luke-Acts and in assessing its role in fostering the development of Christian attitudes toward Jews.

Front Jacket

Insights into the positive and negative portrayals of Jewish life in the Lukan texts

Back Jacket

Insights into the positive and negative portrayals of Jewish life in the Lukan texts

Author Biography

Joseph B. Tyson is a professor emeritus of religious studies at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. He received his Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary and taught at SMU for forty years. He is a fellow of the Westar Institute's Acts Seminar, and he has served as chair of the Christian Scholars Group on Christian-Jewish Relations, sponsored by Boston College. Tyson's many other books include The Death of Jesus in Luke-Acts; Luke, Judaism, and the Scholars: Critical Approaches to Luke-Acts; and Marcion and Luke-Acts: A Defining Struggle.