Origins of the
Gospel
of Luke
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
586 B.C.E. … Destruction of 1st Jerusalem Temple
516 B.C.E. … Completion & dedication of 2nd Temple
Torah reading instituted by Ezra
4 B.C.E. - 30 C.E. … Lifespan of Jesus
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
66 - 73 C.E. … Jewish/Roman War & Masada Siege
70 C.E. … Destruction of 2nd Jerusalem Temple
75 - 80 C.E. … Approx. writing of Luke’s Gospel
79 C.E. … Vesuvius erupts, destroying Pompeii
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
By this time, Jews commonly spoke
Aramaic and/or Greek.
Hearing Torah read in ancient Hebrew
would have been comparable to us today
hearing scripture read in the English
of Chaucer’s time.
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Targum
Literally, “translation” or “interpretation.”
An explanation of an ancient text, using a
more modern common language.
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Jewish targums began as memorized
oral explanations of scripture.
By early 2nd century C.E., targums began
to appear as formal written texts.
Some are fairly literal … others contain
many midrashic expressions.
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Was Luke’s Gospel a “Christian targum”
composed to accompany and parallel Torah readings?
Luke’s Genealogy
(Luke 3:23-38)
Is the genealogy a synchronization mark?
Liturgical Calendar of Torah Readings
Genesis
Exodus
Nisan
Iyar
Passover
Sivan
Pentecost
Tammuz
Ninth of Av
Av
Leviticus
Numbers
Elul
Tishrei
Yom Kippur
Cheshvan
Tabernacles
Kislev
Tevet
Shevat
Deuteronomy
Rosh Hashanah
Adar
Hanukkah
Purim
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Luke inserts the genealogy of Jesus after his nativity
and baptism narratives to keep it synchronized with
a genealogy that appears in Torah.
Luke then continues telling his Jesus story in the order
of the Torah, weaving it in theme by theme.
The parallel stories purposely connect Jesus to
Abraham via the Jewish literary style called midrash.
Liturgical Calendar of Luke Gospel Readings
Luke 20-24
Luke 1-4
Nisan
Iyar
Passover
Sivan
Pentecost
Tammuz
Luke 4-6
Av
Elul
Luke 6-8
Yom Kippur
Cheshvan
Tabernacles
Tevet
Shevat
Luke 10-20
Rosh Hashanah
Tishrei
Kislev
Luke 8-10
Ninth of Av
Adar
Hanukkah
Purim
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Genesis
Abraham (Abram) & Sarah (Sarai)
Isaac & Rebekah / Jacob & Rachel/Leah
vs.
Luke
Zacharias & Elisabeth / Joseph & Mary
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Genesis 11
Abram’s wife was
Sarai... But Sarai was
barren; she had no child.
Genesis 18
Now Abraham and
Sarah were old and well
stricken in age; and it
ceased to be with Sarah
after the manner of
women.
Luke 1
A certain priest named
Zacharias...and his
wife...Elisabeth. And
they had no child,
because that Elisabeth
was barren, and they
both were now well
stricken in years.
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Type Scene
“The Barren Woman” is a common type scene
in early Jewish literature.
Other common Jewish type scenes are
“Foreigner Meets a Woman at a Well”
&
“Older Serves the Younger”
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Genesis 18
And the Lord
appeared unto him
[Abraham]... And, lo,
three men stood by
him... He ran to meet
them from the tent
door and bowed
himself toward the
ground.
Luke 1
And there appeared
unto him [Zacharias]
an angel of the
Lord... I am Gabriel
and am sent to speak
unto thee, and to
shew thee these glad
tidings.
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Genesis 18
Sarah thy wife shall
have a son....
Sarah laughed saying
After I am waxed old
shall I have pleasure,
my lord being old
also?...
Is any thing too hard
for the LORD?
Luke 1
Thy wife Elisabeth shall
bear thee a son, and thou
shalt call his name
John....
Whereby shall I know
this? I am an old man,
and my wife well striken
in years....
Thou shalt be dumb
because thou believest
not my words....
For with God nothing
shall be impossible.
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Genesis 26
Because that
Abraham obeyed
my voice, and kept
my charge,
my commandments,
my statutes, and
my laws.
Luke 1
And they [Zacharias
& Elisabeth] were
both righteous before
God, walking in all
the commandments
and ordinances of the
Lord blameless.
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Both sets of parents were called righteous.
Both Sarah and Elisabeth were barren.
Both sets of parents were old.
In both stories, the news came via angelic beings to a
disbelieving father.
Both fathers were told nothing is impossible with God.
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Genesis 25
Unborn twins leapt
in Rebekah’s womb...
And the elder [Esau]
shall serve the
younger [Jacob].
Luke 1
And [Gabriel] said, Fear
not, Mary... Thou shalt
conceive and bring forth
a son, and shalt call his
name JESUS.
And Mary entered into
[Elisabeth’s] house...
When Elisabeth heard
the salutation of Mary,
the babe [John] leaped
in her womb.
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Genesis 30
And she [Rebekah]
conceived and bare a
son; and said, God
hath taken away my
reproach.
Luke 1
Thus hath the Lord
dealt with me
[Elisabeth] in the
days wherein he
looked on me, to take
away my reproach
among men.
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Genesis 30
Happy am I [Leah],
for the daughters will
call me blessed.
Luke 1
He hath regarded the
low estate of his
handmaiden [Mary];
from henceforth all
generations shall call
me blessed.
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Luke 2
Genesis 30
And they journeyed
[Jacob & Rachel]... And
Rachel travailed, and
she had hard labour...
The midwife said unto
her, thou shalt have this
son... As her soul was
departing, she called his
name Benjamin... Rachel
died, and was buried on
the way to Eph-rath,
which is Beth-lehem.
And Joseph went from
Nazareth, unto the City
of David, which is
Bethlehem... To be taxed
with Mary his wife,
being great with child...
And she brought forth
her first born son, and
wrapped him in
swaddling clothes, and
laid him in a manger;
because there was no
room for them in the
inn.
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Only 2 times in scripture that babies leap in wombs.
The elder-born boys [Esau & John the Baptizer] serve
the younger-born boys [Jacob & Jesus].
Jacob and Joseph are both portrayed as on the road to
their hometowns with pregnant wives, about to deliver.
The respective sons are born in Bethlehem...
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Why do the midrashic origins of Luke’s nativity story
now seem to be “hiding in plain sight” in Genesis?
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
When Luke was originally used as a “Christian targum”
on Torah, the separate readings were heard in tandem.
This emphasized their connection to each other and
would have been unmistakable … even to the less
indoctrinated.
But when later anthologized in Christian bibles, Torah
and Luke are separated by some 40 books. Luke had
long since ceased to be used as targum on Torah, and
their parallelism became obscured … even to the highly
indoctrinated.
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Christianic-Jews who heard Luke being read in synagogue
or Christian meeting houses certainly recognized its
midrashic tone and meaning.
They likely enjoyed it very much as a masterfully crafted
example of midrashic story telling.
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Midrash was a common device in Jewish literature of this
period.
It can be both figurative and literal simultaneously.
But its literality is always secondary to the metaphor and
its meaning.
Luke's Gospel may represent one of the earliest written
midrashic targums in Jewish literature.
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Today we are far more sensitive to documentary literality in
these narratives than were audiences in antiquity, who were
far more concerned with the metaphors and their meaning.
Some historic material lends itself more readily to midrashic
treatment than does other material.
For example…
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
The Lincoln/Kennedy “Midrash”
Lincoln & Kennedy were both shot on a Friday.
Both presidents died of gunshot wounds to the head.
Both successors were named Johnson.
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Lincoln elected to Congress 1846
Kennedy elected to Congress 1946
Lincoln elected president in 1860
Kennedy elected president in 1960
Andrew Johnson born 1808
Lyndon Johnson born 1908
John Wilkes Booth was born 1839
Lee Harvey Oswald was born 1939
Lincoln's secretary was Kennedy
Kennedy’s secretary was Lincoln
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Both assassins were shot before they made it to trial.
Booth shot Lincoln in a theater, and was
later captured in a warehouse.
Oswald shot Kennedy from a warehouse, and was
later captured in a theater.
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
Lincoln was shot sitting
with his wife at the
Ford Theater on
10th St. in Wash. D.C.
watching a
performance of
“Our American Cousin.”
Kennedy was shot sitting
with his wife at the
Majestic Theater on
W. 44th St. in New York
watching a
performance of
Lerner & Loewe's
“Camelot.”
Origins of Luke’s Nativity Story
The Meaning of the
Lincoln/Kennedy “Midrash”
Simply that John Kennedy was a great U.S. President
equally as admired and important
as Abraham Lincoln.