| Luke reflects more on peace than the other Gospel writers. The structure of the Gospel and certain themes in Acts demonstrate that the concept of peace is of great importance to him.; Since his concept of peace shows connections to the Greco-Roman idea of peace and to the political as well as socioeconomic dimensions of the Pax Romana, his work raises the following questions: In what ways has Luke actually integrated the Greco-Roman peace themes into his concept of peace and what purpose does this kind of interpretation serve? What does Luke want to accomplish by having social peace as the main component of the kingdom of God through which the socioeconomic reality of the Pax Romana is challenged? How does Jesus' peace programme relate to the political dimension of the Pax Romana? What goals does Luke pursue by presenting Jesus as the peacemaker, saviour and king and at the same time referring respectfully to the political aspects of the Pax Romana and commending its justice system? What purpose does the background of Pax Romana, against which Luke is interpreting the salvation history, serve for his readers? For what kind of readers could this background be especially meaningful?; (1) The message for the private sphere—the church: the peace that Jesus initiated is for Luke realized in the church and therefore he encourages his Christian readers to put into practice the visions of the kingdom of God. The result of this peace is social justice and equality for the poor, which guarantees unity within their community and within their immediate surroundings. (2) The message for the public sphere—society and politics: with the political themes Luke wants to demonstrate to the public that Christians have no objections to the Roman order. On the contrary, they not only obey the Roman law, but because of their teachings and values even make an important contribution towards the preservation of the political peace and therefore they deserve respect and recognition. The public nature of his work serves yet another purpose: Luke wants to present to those who are interested in Christianity, those who are educated and share certain privileges, that the Christian faith is on the same intellectual level as the contemporary philosophical schools, as has been demonstrated in connection to the Greco-Roman ideas of peace.; So for Luke the Christian message of peace is to be presented to the world and not meant to be hidden in a corner (Acts 26,26). (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
