Characters and Characterization in Luke-Acts - (Library of New Testament Studies) by Frank Dicken & Julia Snyder (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Like all skilful authors, the composer of the biblical books of Luke and Acts understood that a good story requires more than a gripping plot - a persuasive narrative also needs well-portrayed, plot-enhancing characters. This book brings together a set of new essays examining characters and characterization in those books from a variety of methodological perspectives.

The essays illustrate how narratological, sociolinguistic, reader-response, feminist, redaction, reception historical, and comparative literature approaches can be fruitfully applied to the question of Luke's techniques of characterization. Theoretical and methodological discussions are complemented with case studies of specific Lukan characters. Together, the essays reflect the understanding that while many of the literary techniques involved in characterization attest a certain universality, each writer also brings his or her own unique perspective and talent to the portrayal and use of characters, with the result that analysis of a writer's characters and style of characterization can enhance appreciation of that writer's work.

Review Quotes

The volume is a very welcome companion to those in the same series devoted previously to John and to Mark.
Journal for the Study of the New Testament

The volume offers a useful primer in possible methods in approaching characterization, with a set of worked examples, along with a useful up-to-date bibliography.
The Expository Times

This collection of essays is in the third volume in a series of literary-critical studies on characters and characterization in the NT...Luke-Acts is of particular interest in this quest because of its sheer length and because it contains some of the most famous and memorable characters in the NT.
The Catholic Biblical Quarterly

About the Author

Frank E. Dicken is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Lincoln Christian University, USA.

Julia A. Snyder is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of Regensburg, German.