Luke in His Own Words: A Study of the Language of Luke?Acts in Greek (The Library of New Testament Studies)

Jenny Read-Heimerdinger examines the language of Luke-Acts, exploring aspects of Luke’s use of Greek that traditional approaches have not generally accounted for previously. Drawing on contemporary developments in linguistics — broadly referred to as ‘discourse analysis’ — Read-Heimerdinger emphasises that paying close attention to the context of language is vital to understanding the reasons behind an author’s choices. Read-Heimerdinger applies the tools of discourse analysis to several features of Luke’s Greek — such as variation in word order, the use of the article and fine distinctions between synonyms — in order to demonstrate how principles that govern their use subsequently affect exegesis. In addition, she makes suggestions to account for manuscript variation, which in turn have an impact on the editorial choices of Nestle-Aland’s Greek New Testament.

Jenny Read-Heimerdinger is post-graduate supervisor at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, UK

Chris Keith is Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society, Norway. He is the author of The Pericope Adulterae, the Gospel of John and the Literacy of Jesus, a winner of the 2010 John Templeton Award for Theological Promise, and Jesus' Literacy: Scribal Culture and the Teacher from Galilee. He is also the co-editor of Jesus among Friends and Enemies: A Historical and Literary Introduction to Jesus in the Gospels, and was recently named a 2012 Society of Biblical Literature Regional Scholar.