The Exorcism Stories in Luke-Acts: A Sociostylistic Reading: 129 (Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series, Series Number 129) - Hardcover

Klutz, Todd

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521838045 ISBN 13: 9780521838047

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2004

Synopsis

This 2004 book in English integrates detailed literary criticism of the exorcism stories in Luke-Acts with wide-ranging comparative study of ancient sources on demonology, spirit affliction and exorcistic healing. Methods from systemic functional linguistics and critical theory are explained and then applied to each story. Careful focus is placed on each narrative's linguistic functions and also on relevant aspects of its literary co-text and the wider context of culture. Implications of the analysis for the new perspective on Luke-Acts, especially the implied author's relationship with Judaism, are explored in relation to the Lukan stories' original context of reception. Largely neglected interfaces between Luke's narrative representation of exorcism and emerging academic discourse about religious experience, shamanism, health care in antiquity, ritual performance and ancient Jewish systems of impurity are probed in ways that shed fresh light on this supremely alien part of the Lukan writings.

About this title

Review:

Review of the hardback: 'Klutz displays an extensive in contextual issues relating to exorcism, magic and shamanism ... As well as becoming a standard scholarly text on the analysis of biblical exorcism narratives, this book should become an important input to debate about Luke-Acts in general.' Peter Oakes, JSNT Booklist

Review of the hardback: 'Recently I heard a student describing a Scripture course as reversing the domestication of Scripture that has for so long been our practice. Reading Klutz is a welcome step in the same direction.' Sean Kealy, Review of Biblical Literature

Review of the hardback: 'Many scholars have attempted to make linguistic theory the basis for fruitful exegesis of important biblical texts but, often, the results have been rather thin. Not so with Todd Klutz. In a very disciplined and contextually aware study, he puts sociostylistics effectively to work, with results that move the Lukan exorcism narratives to a vital position for understanding both Lukan Christology and the setting and purpose of Luke-Acts. ... As well as becoming a standard scholarly text on the analysis of biblical exorcism narratives, this book should become an important input to debate about Luke-Acts in general.' Journal for the Study of the New Testament

Review of the hardback: 'This monograph is highly recommended to those who are interested in the field of Sociostylistics, exorcistic healing in the New Testament and the narrative of Luke-Acts.' Neotestamentica

Book Description:

This 2004 book was the first in English to situate the Lukan exorcism stories within their ancient cultural context, including popular belief as well as official religion. Close linguistic analysis sheds light on the Jewishness of the text and the understanding of exorcism within the hellenized Jewish religious world.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0521838045
• ISBN 13: 9780521838047
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 312