A Theology of Luke and Acts

“Darrell Bock has gathered together the fruits of his lifetime labors on Luke’s works in a comprehensive account of his theology that combines lucidity and simplicity with much scholarly detail on controversial issues. This is a remarkable achievement that should become the first port of call for students in this central area of New Testament theology.”

I. Howard Marshall

“Lukan theology has often been neglected today, with scholars sometimes simply recycling the inadequacies of older works like Conzelmann’s. Bock’s excellent exploration of Luke’s theological approach and themes meets an important need in Lukan theology. A different scholar might want to give more attention to this or that theme, but Bock’s approach to Luke’s themes is consistently balanced and repeatedly shaped by Luke’s own emphases.”

Craig Keener

“With over thirty years invested in the topic, Darrell Bock knows Luke–Acts. He knows the literature, the issues, and what is really important. Unlike more abstract approaches, Darrell focuses on a detailed treatment of the biblical text, the narrative of Luke–Acts. He allows the major themes of Luke–Acts to control his approach, and he explains convincingly how these themes are developed and what their significance is. The result is an informative and practical guide for the church and anyone who cares about these major two New Testament books. This is a ‘must have’ for pastors, students, and church libraries.”

Klyne Snodgrass

“No one in the evangelical world is better qualified than Darrell Bock to write a biblical theology of Luke and Acts. Having written major commentaries on both volumes and a monograph on Luke’s Old Testament Christology, Bock brings to the task a wealth of knowledge and insight into Luke’s theology and narrative purpose. Students of God’s Word will find no better introduction to the major themes of the Lukan corpus. Highly recommended.”

Mark L. Strauss

“This is an indispensable, comprehensive, yet readable work on the biblical world and thought behind Luke’s writings. It provides a critical resource for scholars, pastors, and Bible study teachers who want to understand the theological threads woven together by Luke into the tapestry of Luke–Acts. I highly recommend it to all serious Bible students. Bock provides us all with the rich, underlying theological depth of Luke’s masterworks, and I have not seen such thorough and yet clear coverage on this extremely important topic.”

Grant Osborne

“This comprehensive and competent—indeed commanding—treatment of the theology of Luke’s two-volume work provides readers with a concise yet detailed survey of essentially all areas of theology: the work and character of God, the work and person of Jesus Christ, the work of the Holy Spirit, salvation, Israel, Jews and Gentiles, the church, ethics, opposition and persecution, social questions, the law, the Old Testament Scriptures, and eschatology. Darrell Bock’s focus on the text rather than on scholarly debates ensures that readers learn what Luke wanted his readers to comprehend: the fulfillment of God’s promises in and through Jesus, Israel’s Messiah and the Savior of the world.”

Eckhard Schnabel

“After several decades of reflection on the gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles—reflection evidenced in his doctoral studies, numerous articles, several monographs, and no less than four stand-alone commentaries—one of the world’s foremost Lukan scholars offers us here his matured scholarship on the theology of this ancient Christian corpus that comprises one fourth of the New Testament. Academics cannot fancy themselves Lukan scholars without knowing this author’s name, and no one working in Lukan theology will attempt to do so without interacting with his work. Fifty years ago this could be said of Hans Conzelmann; for the next few decades of Luke–Acts studies this will be said of Darrell Bock.”

Douglas S. Huffman

“After a flurry of interest in the theology of Luke in the 1970s and 1980s, it has been quite a while since a detailed, reasonably comprehensive work on the major themes in Lukan thought in both his Gospel and Acts has appeared. Here, finally, is one that is up-to-date, thorough, evangelical, and, as an added bonus, largely based on the narrative sequence of Luke's material in his two volumes. Bock adds to his repertoire as the premier recent commentator on Luke and Acts separately. This book is a worthy successor to Andreas Köstenberger's inaugural volume on John in Zondervan's emerging Biblical Theology of the New Testament series.”

Craig L. Blomberg