Corpus-Paul

["Billy Evans" <Biblewje AT comcast.net>]

Dear Richard and group:
In response to the questions which follow (no near pun intended 'Fellows')
and with a dose of reader response criticism in hand in order to avoid all
of the historical critical issues for this post let me make the following
points:
 1) Colossians 4:14 says (if written indeed by Paul) 'Luke the beloved
physician and Demas greet you.'  This seems to at least show that Luke knew
and even participated in the Pauline greeting or else Luke was nearby during
the writing process, which had to be before 62 CE since a earthquake
destroyed most if not all of the city of Colossae.

2) II Timothy 4:11 says (if this letter is also written by Paul) 'Luke is
alone with me...' but verse 13b 'bring...the books and above all the
parchments.'

3) Philemon 24 has Paul mentioning Luke's desire to pass on his greetings in
Paul's letter to Philemon.

Having stated my case in number one, it seems to me that numbers two and
three at least carry overtones of one (Luke) wanting to be included in a
writing that also might at least have some important function for the early
church.

In considering all three of the above references, Luke indeed knew that Paul
wrote letters, and Luke also must have known a good deal about their
contents since he 1) is a constant companion with Paul in many of Paul's
travels (would Paul have never mentioned to Luke as they traveled along a
dusty road what he was thinking about writing or what he had written
concerning a certain situation, etc.?

Regarding Richard's third question below, I will send my greetings and
request that we address the date of what Luke writes at the terminal chapter
of 'Acts' and ask if we really think the final chapter of Acts, (Paul in
Rome) which follows Luke's travel-journal with Paul, comes earlier than the
letters I mentioned above where Luke sends his 'greeting' or where Luke is
alone with Paul?

simplistic is a product of Postmodernism, but it does have a purpose even
though I did not think so at my initial exposures to it.

William J Evans Jr

-----Original Message-----
From: corpus-paul-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:corpus-paul-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org]On Behalf Of Richard
Fellows
Sent: Wed, July 23, 2003 11:10 PM
To: Corpus-Paul
Subject: Re: [Corpus-Paul] Did Luke knew Paul's letters?


Listers may like to know that this question was explored by William Walker
(JSNT 24 (1985) 3-23)).

There are at least three separate questions here:
1. Did Luke know that Paul wrote letters?
2. How well did Luke know Paul's letters?
3. Did Luke make use of Paul's letters when writing Acts?

My own view is that Luke made little or no use of Paul's letters. This may
well indicate that Acts was composed before the letters had gained the
status of authoritative document, but it tells us nothing about how well
Luke knew the letters. If, as seems likely, Luke was writing long before the
letters became 'scripture', he would have no reason to use them, or even
mention them. No doubt Luke had more important sources of information.
Letters do NOT generally provide a full picture of their author.

Antti, you mentioned a dissertation on this subject. Would you summarize the
arguments for us?

Richard Fellows.


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