Luke-Acts session 8: Rome versus Jerusalem
January 28, 2022Podcast: Play in new window | Download
To what extent was Yeshua’s message a direct threat against the Roman empire? Traditional interpreters have assumed that Yeshua came to preach a spiritual kingdom that need not alter existing political structures. A closer look at Luke-Acts challenges this perspective just as much as it challenges some early Jewish notions of revolution. Yeshua offers an anti-imperial message, albeit one that is drastically different than that of the zealots. This session proposes that Luke looks forward to Rome’s eventual downfall and the political liberation of the Jewish people. We explore how the Gerasene demoniac functions as an allegory of the Roman empire. We also see how Luke structures his narrative to emphasize Yeshua’s long, final journey up to Jerusalem, which occupies more than half of his Gospel.
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