The Infancy Narrative (accrding t Luke) The Gspel f Luke Date Cmpsed: Place: Authr: Surces: Mid-80s CE A wide variety f sites have been prpsed. Smewhere in Greece r Asia-Minr seems reasnable. A Gentile believer, pssibly a Gd-fearer wh admired Judaism befre learning f Christianity. The Gspel f Mark "Q" sayings surce Other special material Features f Luke (Acts) Is the first f a tw-vlume wrk; the secnd part presents the spread f salvatin t the natins (Acts). Begins with an infancy narrative markedly different frm Matthew s. Is patterned after a Greek histry Gegraphy plays a majr rle. Jerusalem is the fcus f the Gspel as the site thrugh which salvatin cmes. Many biblical themes are wven int the Gspel and Acts, but the writer des nt usually make explicit reference t the fact as Matthew did. A stress n Israel as first blessed by salvatin, as Gd had prmised. Jesus and his assciates and fllwers are all depicted as pius, righteus, law-abiding Jews. Frequently mentins the pr and wmen. Jesus is ften depicted as praying. There is a stress n Jesus as healer and peace bringer. The fact that Jesus was righteus and inncent is emphasized. There is a tendency t smth ver cnflicts, disputes, and negative behaviur amng the disciples and in the Church. Huge crwds are prminent. They ften are prtrayed very psitively. Rmans are depicted favrably. A sad and wistful attitude tward Jews utside the Church is nticeable. There are frequent references t guidance by the Spirit. Cntext The Lukan cmmunity is predminantly Gentile. Christians culd be taken fr Jews r Jewish sympathizers by Rmans. There is a danger in being perceived as revlutinaries by the Empire. Sme members f the Lucan cmmunity may be cncerned abut the disapprval f unbaptized Jews. Is the Church s distancing frm Jews really what Gd planned? The Lukan cmmunity may be an affluent ne, which the authr feels is inadequately cncerned with the pr. 1
Authr's Beliefs Jesus is the culminatin f Gd s plan t save humanity. His ministry marks the pivtal epch in human histry. Salvatin enters the wrld thrugh Israel and is ffered t Israel first. The salvatin which Jesus brings is the very peace f Gd. It rescues peple frm hatred, sickness, cnflict, and alienatin frm Gd and each ther. Jesus brings interpersnal harmny, physical and spiritual whleness, cntentment, and jy. Christianity is the natural, divinely-intended ffsht f Judaism. Jews wh have nt recgnized Gd s salvatin in Christ are t be lamented. They are denying themselves the saving peace which Jesus brught. Symbls used in the Infancy Narrative Census May r may nt have happened, can t find any histrical evidence that this ccurred Luke wants Jesus t be brn in Bethlehem t fulfill the prphecy, but t grw up in Nazareth If ging t Jseph s hme twn, then they wuld have been staying with relatives They wuld nt have been alne surrunded by family Yung girl, aged 12, giving birth fr the first time wuld have been surrunded by wmen, as giving birth was the mst dangerus thing a wmen in 1 st century culd d Visin f helplessness in the face f ppressin N rm in the inn inn is translated as upper rm n rm upstairs, fr a screaming wman in labur, with bld therefre dwn stairs, where the animals are kept makes sense that there is n rm upstairs because if family was in twn fr the census, family hme wuld have been filled Jseph wuld nt have been allwed there Shepherds Symblize that Jesus is here fr the pr, the utcast, nt brn amng kings and ryalty (n three kings here!) Shepherds were the wrking class f the Jewish sciety Were hated fr their dishnesty in using the land f thers fr grazing and fr nt bserving Jewish purity custms Marginalized, peasant peple Wanderers, gave little attentin t custms and laws They are the simple pr Shws the infant Jesus has a unique missin t the pr and disenfranchised Animals Jesus brn amngst the prest and utcast with the animals especially thse nt Ksher. 2
Teaching Kataluma (καταλυματι) The Christmas stry is ne f genuine and tuching piety (Bailey 2008b, p34) All bible translatins, translate the Greek wrd Kataluma as inn (wrngly- the greek wrd fr inn is pandchein and is used in the Gd Samaritan Stry with the inn keeper!) NRSV: And she gave birth t her firstbrn sn and wrapped him in bands f clth, and laid him in a manger, because there was n place fr them in the inn. NIV: and she gave birth t her firstbrn, a sn. She wrapped him in clths and placed him in a manger, because there was n rm fr them in the inn. Gd News: She gave birth t her first sn, wrapped him in clths and laid him in a manger there was n rm fr them t stay in the inn. Kαταλυματι is nly used 3 times in all 4 gspels. 1- Mark where he uses καταλυματι t explain where Jesus had the last supper (the upper rm), 2 Luke s infancy narrative where there was n rm fr Jesus in the upper rm t be brn, 3 Luke has Jesus has his final meal (last supper) in the upper rm καταλυματι S where was Jesus really brn if there was n rm smewhere fr him? Marshall (1978) translates as ldging Raymnd Brwn (1993) translates kataluma = ldgings, part f a private hme, rm Ottey (1986 pp72-73) translates as a frm f caravansary (as travelling in first century Palestine, peple travelled tgether and rested fr the night under the prtectin f each ther) Kerr (1991 p15) translates as guest rm r upper rm Bailey (2008) translates as guest rm All these schlars als mentin that if Jesus was f ryal birth, and family was in Bethlehem, then every dr wuld have been pened t welcme his family int their humble hmes 3
Translatins a,b,c,d ven/stve, water well, cupbard Hackselraum where animals are kept Hhle dugut/manger Stallung straw Whnterrasse upper rm/ther rm/guest rm (sleeping, dying) d,e,f,g cupbard/strage Mst likely then, Jesus was brn in the main rm f the huse, with fire and ht water, like mst first century Palestinian children, welcmed int the family as a miracle and a gift frm Gd. Animals were welcme int the huse each night fr warmth, and security and let ut during the day, due t Rabbinic law. 4
Teaching Tips fr Luke s Infancy Narrative 1. Only teach 1 infancy narrative: if yu teach bth (frm Matthew and Luke) than d a cmparisn. It is much easier in the primary setting t teach just ne stry. 2. Fcus n the stry itself read the stry frm the bible. DO NOT rely n memry, past teachings, r read frm picture bks. Rely n the direct surce. 3. Use an apprpriate bible translatin: NRSV, NIV, American Bible 4. The infancy narrative stry shuld be a pririty fr the Religius Educatin Classrm and either be part f the Scripture, Celebratin and Prayer r Beliefs strands. 5. This stry shuld be studied in its histrical cntext t give greater meaning and understanding f the stry. 6. Luke has Jesus brn in the main rm f the huse Teachers shuld avid any learning activities that invlve mtels, inn-keepers, sns f inn-keepers and stables nt far away. These ppular Hallmark greeting card additins are nt mentined in Luke. Teachers shuld be explicit abut this. Teachers shuld allw students t investigate the lifestyle and culture f first century Palestinian families. Jesus is nt brn in a palace, nt even in his wn hme, nt even in the guest rm f his relative s hme, but in the cmmn rm f a small peasant hme, in a small, relatively insignificant twn, in an ut f the way crner f the wrld. 7. Sequencing events When teaching the sequence f events in the infancy narratives, use the riginal Lukan text, rather than a picture bk r children s bible. 8. List characters frm the riginal text When teaching the infancy narrative, part f the learning sequence, culd invlve the listing f characters f the stry. Teachers shuld list the characters directly frm the Lukan surce rather than frm picture bks r children s bibles. 9. Recreate the nativity scene Within their religius educatin prgrams, teachers shuld allw students t recreate the nativity scene accrding t Luke s presentatin. 10. Explre and enjy the stry fr the sake f stry telling, but dn t frget t allw students t discuss their faith sharing and understanding f the stry: this is the stry f the incarnatin f Gd?? What des this mean???? Cre Learning Outcmes & Suggested Learning Activities S1.1 Students use textual features t explre infrmatin and ideas in familia scriptural texts. Examine characters, features, stry lines, sequence f the stry, familiar and unfamiliar wrds The New Testament tells the stry f Jesus, wh is the Sn f Gd Luke s stry tells us ne versin f Jesus birth S2.1 Students examine the textual features f text types f cmmunicatin infrmatin and ideas abut scriptural texts. Deepen the students understanding f the infancy narrative Read and stry sequence frm Jhn s birth Discuss plt, characters, images, symbls, messages Biblical referencing system 5
S3.1 Students explre textual features cmmn t familiar text types t make meaning f scriptural texts. Read the stry as a narrative and discuss the genre and textual features f narratives rientatin, cmplicatin, reslutin Pints f view frm the different characters Themes, characters S4.1 Students identify images, symbls and metaphric language t cmmunicate multiple meanings frm scriptural texts. Identify the images used within the Lukan text t prtray the thelgical meaning f the stry frm the authr s pint f view Discuss symbls and their use in stries and myths and legends Discuss the metaphric language f Jesus Sn f Gd and the meaning this hlds fr us tday. Cnceptual Organiser 2: Scriptural texts are cmpsed and cmprehended cntextually. S1.1 Students gather and recrd infrmatin facts abut peple, places and things in scriptural texts. Students gather and recrd infrmatin abut the characters mentined in the Lukan infancy narrative Use f maps, Bethlehem, Nazareth, types f huses S2.2 Students retrieve cntextual infrmatin t cmmunicate thinking feelings and understandings abut scriptural texts. Students study the histry f the stry: the cultural way f life, family life in first century Palestine, way f life f Jesus as a baby, huses, fd, clthing, daily life, custms, key peple Understanding f hw the gspels were frmed 3 stages S3.2 Students make cnnectins between cntextual infrmatin within scriptural texts and audiences f thse texts. Study f the authr f Luke, the cmmunity t which this gspel was written fr, the purpse, the time f writing, the intended audience and the pint f view the authr is writing frm and hw cntemprary audiences interpret gspel stries fr their wn faith life Study the histrical cntext f the birth f Jesus the messiah Gegraphy/maps f the area Plitical systems and tensins in relatin t the birth f Jesus S4.1 Students apply in a systematic way the scial, cultural and histrical cntexts f scriptural texts t clarify persnal and shared meanings. Students are t study the way f life f first century Palestine in relatin t the Lukan infancy narrative and then clarify persnal and shared meanings f this stry Students investigate scial cntexts, cultural cntexts, histrical cntexts Students then use this infrmatin t clarify the meaning f the stry fr the cntemprary wrld 6
S1.1 Students share and cmpare their ideas, feelings and experiences in interpreting familiar scriptural texts. Students understand that Jesus is the central persn f the New Testament and the stries abut Jesus, and the stries Jesus tells all shw us hw t live ur lives as Gd wants S2.3 Students discuss levels f meaning t cmmunicate a persnal interpretatin f a familiar scriptural text. Students understand that Cathlics take a cntextual understanding f the bible, NOT a literal understanding. D nt ask me did it happen r is it true?, BUT ask me WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Students are t have a simple understanding that the stry f Jesus birth is the stry f hw Gd came t be n this earth, in human frm S3.3 Students explre range f biblical tls fr interpreting scriptural texts. Students are t be able t use biblical tls cncrdances, lk at different translatins f the same stry, cmmentaries, parallels, atlases etc. t aid their understanding f the infancy narrative accrding t Luke. S4.3 Students develp a prcess using selected elements f interpretatin, t explain a scriptural text. Students are t be shwn a variety f prcesses used by biblical schlars t aid in biblical interpretatin. Students then develp/chse ne t apply t the Lukan infancy narrative stry. The Text Luke 1 Intrductin 1 Many have undertaken t draw up an accunt f the things that have been fulfilled [a] amng us, 2 just as they were handed dwn t us by thse wh frm the first were eyewitnesses and servants f the wrd. 3 Therefre, since I myself have carefully investigated everything frm the beginning, it seemed gd als t me t write an rderly accunt fr yu, mst excellent Thephilus, 4 s that yu may knw the certainty f the things yu have been taught. The Birth f Jhn the Baptist Fretld 5 In the time f Herd king f Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, wh belnged t the priestly divisin f Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was als a descendant f Aarn. 6 Bth f them were upright in the sight f Gd, bserving all the Lrd's cmmandments and regulatins blamelessly. 7 But they had n children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were bth well alng in years. 8 Once when Zechariah's divisin was n duty and he was serving as priest befre Gd, 9 he was chsen by lt, accrding t the custm f the priesthd, t g int the temple f the Lrd and burn incense. 10 And when the time fr the burning f incense came, all the assembled wrshipers were praying utside. 7
11 Then an angel f the Lrd appeared t him, standing at the right side f the altar f incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said t him: "D nt be afraid, Zechariah; yur prayer has been heard. Yur wife Elizabeth will bear yu a sn, and yu are t give him the name Jhn. 14 He will be a jy and delight t yu, and many will rejice because f his birth, 15 fr he will be great in the sight f the Lrd. He is never t take wine r ther fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Hly Spirit even frm birth. [b] 16 Many f the peple f Israel will he bring back t the Lrd their Gd. 17 And he will g n befre the Lrd, in the spirit and pwer f Elijah, t turn the hearts f the fathers t their children and the disbedient t the wisdm f the righteus t make ready a peple prepared fr the Lrd." 18 Zechariah asked the angel, "Hw can I be sure f this? I am an ld man and my wife is well alng in years." 19 The angel answered, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence f Gd, and I have been sent t speak t yu and t tell yu this gd news. 20 And nw yu will be silent and nt able t speak until the day this happens, because yu did nt believe my wrds, which will cme true at their prper time." 21 Meanwhile, the peple were waiting fr Zechariah and wndering why he stayed s lng in the temple. 22 When he came ut, he culd nt speak t them. They realized he had seen a visin in the temple, fr he kept making signs t them but remained unable t speak. 23 When his time f service was cmpleted, he returned hme. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and fr five mnths remained in seclusin. 25 "The Lrd has dne this fr me," she said. "In these days he has shwn his favr and taken away my disgrace amng the peple." The Birth f Jesus Fretld 26 In the sixth mnth, Gd sent the angel Gabriel t Nazareth, a twn in Galilee, 27 t a virgin pledged t be married t a man named Jseph, a descendant f David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 The angel went t her and said, "Greetings, yu wh are highly favred! The Lrd is with yu." 29 Mary was greatly trubled at his wrds and wndered what kind f greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said t her, "D nt be afraid, Mary, yu have fund favr with Gd. 31 Yu will be with child and give birth t a sn, and yu are t give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Sn f the Mst High. The Lrd Gd will give him the thrne f his father David, 33 and he will reign ver the huse f Jacb frever; his kingdm will never end." 34 "Hw will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" 35 The angel answered, "The Hly Spirit will cme upn yu, and the pwer f the Mst High will vershadw yu. S the hly ne t be brn will be called [c] the Sn f Gd. 36 Even Elizabeth yur relative is ging t have a child in her ld age, and she wh was said t be barren is in her sixth mnth. 37 Fr nthing is impssible with Gd." 38 "I am the Lrd's servant," Mary answered. "May it be t me as yu have said." Then the angel left her. 8
Mary Visits Elizabeth 39 At that time Mary gt ready and hurried t a twn in the hill cuntry f Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah's hme and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her wmb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Hly Spirit. 42 In a lud vice she exclaimed: "Blessed are yu amng wmen, and blessed is the child yu will bear! 43 But why am I s favred, that the mther f my Lrd shuld cme t me? 44 As sn as the sund f yur greeting reached my ears, the baby in my wmb leaped fr jy. 45 Blessed is she wh has believed that what the Lrd has said t her will be accmplished!" Mary's Sng 46 And Mary said: "My sul glrifies the Lrd 47 and my spirit rejices in Gd my Savir, 48 fr he has been mindful f the humble state f his servant. Frm nw n all generatins will call me blessed, 49 fr the Mighty One has dne great things fr me hly is his name. 50 His mercy extends t thse wh fear him, frm generatin t generatin. 51 He has perfrmed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered thse wh are prud in their inmst thughts. 52 He has brught dwn rulers frm their thrnes but has lifted up the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with gd things but has sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering t be merciful 55 t Abraham and his descendants frever, even as he said t ur fathers." 56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth fr abut three mnths and then returned hme. The Birth f Jhn the Baptist 57 When it was time fr Elizabeth t have her baby, she gave birth t a sn. 58 Her neighbrs and relatives heard that the Lrd had shwn her great mercy, and they shared her jy. 59 On the eighth day they came t circumcise the child, and they were ging t name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mther spke up and said, "N! He is t be called Jhn." 61 They said t her, "There is n ne amng yur relatives wh has that name." 62 Then they made signs t his father, t find ut what he wuld like t name the child. 63 He asked fr a writing tablet, and t everyne's astnishment he wrte, "His name is Jhn." 64 Immediately his muth was pened and his tngue was lsed, and he began t speak, praising Gd. 65 The neighbrs were all filled with awe, and thrughut the hill cuntry f Judea peple were talking abut all these things. 66 Everyne wh heard this wndered abut it, asking, "What then is this child ging t be?" Fr the Lrd's hand was with him. Zechariah's Sng 67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Hly Spirit and prphesied: 68 "Praise be t the Lrd, the Gd f Israel, 9
because he has cme and has redeemed his peple. 69 He has raised up a hrn [d] f salvatin fr us in the huse f his servant David 70 (as he said thrugh his hly prphets f lng ag), 71 salvatin frm ur enemies and frm the hand f all wh hate us 72 t shw mercy t ur fathers and t remember his hly cvenant, 73 the ath he swre t ur father Abraham: 74 t rescue us frm the hand f ur enemies, and t enable us t serve him withut fear 75 in hliness and righteusness befre him all ur days. 76 And yu, my child, will be called a prphet f the Mst High; fr yu will g n befre the Lrd t prepare the way fr him, 77 t give his peple the knwledge f salvatin thrugh the frgiveness f their sins, 78 because f the tender mercy f ur Gd, by which the rising sun will cme t us frm heaven 79 t shine n thse living in darkness and in the shadw f death, t guide ur feet int the path f peace." 80 And the child grew and became strng in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly t Israel. Luke 2 The Birth f Jesus 1 In thse days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census shuld be taken f the entire Rman wrld. 2 (This was the first census that tk place while Quirinius was gvernr f Syria.) 3 And everyne went t his wn twn t register. 4 S Jseph als went up frm the twn f Nazareth in Galilee t Judea, t Bethlehem the twn f David, because he belnged t the huse and line f David. 5 He went there t register with Mary, wh was pledged t be married t him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came fr the baby t be brn, 7 and she gave birth t her firstbrn, a sn. She wrapped him in clths and placed him in a manger, because there was n rm fr them in the inn. The Shepherds and the Angels 8 And there were shepherds living ut in the fields nearby, keeping watch ver their flcks at night. 9 An angel f the Lrd appeared t them, and the glry f the Lrd shne arund them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said t them, "D nt be afraid. I bring yu gd news f great jy that will be fr all the peple. 11 Tday in the twn f David a Savir has been brn t yu; he is Christ [e] the Lrd. 12 This will be a sign t yu: Yu will find a baby wrapped in clths and lying in a manger." 13 Suddenly a great cmpany f the heavenly hst appeared with the angel, praising Gd and saying, 14 "Glry t Gd in the highest, and n earth peace t men n whm his favur rests." 10
15 When the angels had left them and gne int heaven, the shepherds said t ne anther, "Let's g t Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lrd has tld us abut." 16 S they hurried ff and fund Mary and Jseph, and the baby, wh was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the wrd cncerning what had been tld them abut this child, 18 and all wh heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said t them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pndered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glrifying and praising Gd fr all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been tld. Jesus Presented in the Temple 21 On the eighth day, when it was time t circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him befre he had been cnceived. 22 When the time f their purificatin accrding t the Law f Mses had been cmpleted, Jseph and Mary tk him t Jerusalem t present him t the Lrd 23 (as it is written in the Law f the Lrd, "Every firstbrn male is t be cnsecrated t the Lrd" [f] ), 24 and t ffer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law f the Lrd: "a pair f dves r tw yung pigens." [g] 25 Nw there was a man in Jerusalem called Simen, wh was righteus and devut. He was waiting fr the cnslatin f Israel, and the Hly Spirit was upn him. 26 It had been revealed t him by the Hly Spirit that he wuld nt die befre he had seen the Lrd's Christ. 27 Mved by the Spirit, he went int the temple curts. When the parents brught in the child Jesus t d fr him what the custm f the Law required, 28 Simen tk him in his arms and praised Gd, saying: 29 "Svereign Lrd, as yu have prmised, yu nw dismiss [h] yur servant in peace. 30 Fr my eyes have seen yur salvatin, 31 which yu have prepared in the sight f all peple, 32 a light fr revelatin t the Gentiles and fr glry t yur peple Israel." 33 The child's father and mther marvelled at what was said abut him. 34 Then Simen blessed them and said t Mary, his mther: "This child is destined t cause the falling and rising f many in Israel, and t be a sign that will be spken against, 35 s that the thughts f many hearts will be revealed. And a swrd will pierce yur wn sul t." 36 There was als a prphetess, Anna, the daughter f Phanuel, f the tribe f Asher. She was very ld; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widw until she was eighty-fur. [i] She never left the temple but wrshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Cming up t them at that very mment, she gave thanks t Gd and spke abut the child t all wh were lking frward t the redemptin f Jerusalem. 39 When Jseph and Mary had dne everything required by the Law f the Lrd, they returned t Galilee t their wn twn f Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strng; he was filled with wisdm, and the grace f Gd was upn him. 11