Review of: Robert C. Tannehill, Luke (ANTC), Abingdon Press, 1996; in: Interpretation

Robert C. Tannehill, Luke (ANTC), Abingdon Press, 1996.

Review in: Interpretation 1998 52: 307

Review door: John T. Carroll
Gevonden op: http://int.sagepub.com/content/52/3/307.full.pdf+html

Luke, by Robert C. Tannehill. Abingdon New Testament Commentaries. Abingdon, Nashville, 1996.
378pp. $24.95 (paper). ISBN 0-687-06132-6.

ONE OF THE PREMIER interpreters of Luke-Acts today, Tannehill in this commentary makes available to a broad readership the rich fruits of his sustained engagement with the Gospel of Luke. Building on the author's previous narrative-critical studies, the commentary treats each narrative scene as a distinct unit with its own integrity, but emphasizes the way in which the scene contributes to the plot and themes of the larger story. The author also discusses the distinctiveness of passages in Luke in relation to the other Gospels, and the further development of Lukan themes in Acts. This study advances beyond Tannehill's earlier narrative-critical work by attending more closely to Luke's social world and to the ways in which Luke's first audience would have responded to the narrative.

Like other books by Tannehill, this volume is lucid and perceptive. It offers a subtle reading of Luke's narrative, informed by knowledge of the cultural world of Luke's earliest readers. At several points Tannehill corrects the NRSV translation, and his explanations are instructive. Interspersed throughout the commentary are brief but helpful remarks engaging moral and theological questions prompted by the text. It is at precisely this point, however, that the limitation of the book becomes apparent. Some readers will find the theological reflections too brief and will be frustrated by the absence of a substantial summary or synthesis of the leading themes of Luke's Gospel. These themes are clearly marked, but one must read through the commentary to discover them. This is not a reference commentary; for some textual details recourse to other reference tools will be necessary. Nonetheless, Tannehill provides a clear and compelling reading of the narrative. Ideal as an introductory commentary for theological students, this volume will also be read with profit by pastors and many lay readers. It is an excellent guide to the Gospel of Luke.

John T. Carroll

Union-PSCE

Richmond, Virginia

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