The Educational Aspect of the Lukan Travel Narrative: Jesus as a Πεπαιδευμένος
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Sigurvin Lárus Jónsson
Abstract
This article approaches the Lukan travel narrative (Luke 9:51-19:27) from the perspective of ancient travel, first exploring the questions of why, if and how this section is designated as a travel narrative and then reflecting on the topic of education as it connects to the narrative strategy of Luke. The why is explored in relation to research history, that despite different aspects inevitably returns to the topic of travel in the section, the if in comparison to contemporary literature where travel is a predominant topic across genres and the how in light of the sources that the Gospel of Luke builds upon, predominantly the ὁδός theme from the Gospel of Mark and the Septuagint. Finally, attention is given to the connection between travel and education in contemporary literature, where the identity of educated persons, πεπαιδευμένοι, are bound up with travel in that travel is a mode of and prerequisite for education. The educational portrait of Paul in Acts as educated has been highlighted in recent scholarship, where travel plays an important part, yet the portrait of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke as a teacher and prophet is also supported through the travel narrative. Instead of depicting Jesus’ travel to Jerusalem as a straightforward journey, Luke expands his influence geographically and includes teaching material that builds up the image of Jesus as a πεπαιδευμένος. This educational aspect serves at least two purposes, to establish his authority and to serve as an exemplum for early Christians who themselves travel and teach.
Abstract
This article approaches the Lukan travel narrative (Luke 9:51-19:27) from the perspective of ancient travel, first exploring the questions of why, if and how this section is designated as a travel narrative and then reflecting on the topic of education as it connects to the narrative strategy of Luke. The why is explored in relation to research history, that despite different aspects inevitably returns to the topic of travel in the section, the if in comparison to contemporary literature where travel is a predominant topic across genres and the how in light of the sources that the Gospel of Luke builds upon, predominantly the ὁδός theme from the Gospel of Mark and the Septuagint. Finally, attention is given to the connection between travel and education in contemporary literature, where the identity of educated persons, πεπαιδευμένοι, are bound up with travel in that travel is a mode of and prerequisite for education. The educational portrait of Paul in Acts as educated has been highlighted in recent scholarship, where travel plays an important part, yet the portrait of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke as a teacher and prophet is also supported through the travel narrative. Instead of depicting Jesus’ travel to Jerusalem as a straightforward journey, Luke expands his influence geographically and includes teaching material that builds up the image of Jesus as a πεπαιδευμένος. This educational aspect serves at least two purposes, to establish his authority and to serve as an exemplum for early Christians who themselves travel and teach.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- List of Contributors VII
- Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Travel Experiences 1
- “And as They Travelled Eastward” (Gen 11:2): Travel in the Book of Genesis and the Anonymous Travelers in the Tower of Babel Account 11
- The Consolations of Travel: Reading Seneca’s Ad Marciam vis-à-vis Paul of Tarsus 33
- The (Missing) Motif of “Returning Home” from an Otherworldly Journey in Menippean Literature and the New Testament 55
- The Educational Aspect of the Lukan Travel Narrative: Jesus as a Πεπαιδευμένος 73
- Acts of the Apostles—A Celebration of Uncertainty? Constructing a Dialogical Self for the Early Jesus Movement 97
- “Today or Tomorrow We Will Go to Such and Such a City” (Jas 4:13): The Experience of Interconnectivity and the Mobility of Norms in the Ancient Globalized World 113
- Heavenly Journey and Divine Epistemology in the Fourth Gospel 145
- Following Vespasian in His Footsteps: Movement and (E)motion Management in Josephus’ Judean War 161
- Religion on the Road—Nehalennia Revisited: Voyagers Addressing a North Sea Deity in the Second Century CE 181
- Mapping Cosmological Space in the Apocalypse of Paul and the Visio Pauli: The Actualization of Virtual Spatiality in Two Pauline Apocalyptical Journeys based on 2 Cor 12:2–4 189
- The Travels of Barnabas: From the Acts of the Apostles to Late Antique Hagiographic Literature 229
- Rabbinic Geography: Between the Imaginary and Real 251
- The Journey of Zayd Ibn ʿAmr: In Search of True Worship 269
- Nautical Fiction of Late Antiquity: Jews and Christians Traveling by Sea 295
- Monasteries as Travel Loci for Muslims and Christians (500–1000 CE) 313
- Sachregister 337
- Stellenregister 341
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- List of Contributors VII
- Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Travel Experiences 1
- “And as They Travelled Eastward” (Gen 11:2): Travel in the Book of Genesis and the Anonymous Travelers in the Tower of Babel Account 11
- The Consolations of Travel: Reading Seneca’s Ad Marciam vis-à-vis Paul of Tarsus 33
- The (Missing) Motif of “Returning Home” from an Otherworldly Journey in Menippean Literature and the New Testament 55
- The Educational Aspect of the Lukan Travel Narrative: Jesus as a Πεπαιδευμένος 73
- Acts of the Apostles—A Celebration of Uncertainty? Constructing a Dialogical Self for the Early Jesus Movement 97
- “Today or Tomorrow We Will Go to Such and Such a City” (Jas 4:13): The Experience of Interconnectivity and the Mobility of Norms in the Ancient Globalized World 113
- Heavenly Journey and Divine Epistemology in the Fourth Gospel 145
- Following Vespasian in His Footsteps: Movement and (E)motion Management in Josephus’ Judean War 161
- Religion on the Road—Nehalennia Revisited: Voyagers Addressing a North Sea Deity in the Second Century CE 181
- Mapping Cosmological Space in the Apocalypse of Paul and the Visio Pauli: The Actualization of Virtual Spatiality in Two Pauline Apocalyptical Journeys based on 2 Cor 12:2–4 189
- The Travels of Barnabas: From the Acts of the Apostles to Late Antique Hagiographic Literature 229
- Rabbinic Geography: Between the Imaginary and Real 251
- The Journey of Zayd Ibn ʿAmr: In Search of True Worship 269
- Nautical Fiction of Late Antiquity: Jews and Christians Traveling by Sea 295
- Monasteries as Travel Loci for Muslims and Christians (500–1000 CE) 313
- Sachregister 337
- Stellenregister 341
