Does the New Testament Imitate Homer?: Four Cases from the Acts of the Apostles
Dennis R. MacDonald
Abstract
This challenge to prevailing views of New Testament sources argues that the origins of passages in the book of Acts are to be found not in early Christian legends but in the epics of Homer. The book focuses on four passages in the book of Acts, examines their potential parallels in the Iliad, and concludes that the author of Acts composed them using famous scenes in Homer's work as a model. Tracing the influence of passages from the Iliad on subsequent ancient literature, it shows how the story generated a vibrant, mimetic literary tradition long before Luke composed the Acts. Luke could have ... More
This challenge to prevailing views of New Testament sources argues that the origins of passages in the book of Acts are to be found not in early Christian legends but in the epics of Homer. The book focuses on four passages in the book of Acts, examines their potential parallels in the Iliad, and concludes that the author of Acts composed them using famous scenes in Homer's work as a model. Tracing the influence of passages from the Iliad on subsequent ancient literature, it shows how the story generated a vibrant, mimetic literary tradition long before Luke composed the Acts. Luke could have expected educated readers to recognize his transformation of these tales and to see that the Christian God and heroes were superior to Homeric gods and heroes. Building upon and extending previously adopted analytic methods, this book opens an appreciation not only of Acts but also of the composition of early Christian narrative in general.
Keywords:
New Testament sources,
book of Acts,
early Christian legends,
epics of Homer,
Iliad,
ancient literature,
mimetic literary tradition,
Luke,
Christian God,
Homeric gods
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2003 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780300097702 |
| Published to Yale Scholarship Online: October 2013 |
DOI:10.12987/yale/9780300097702.001.0001 |
