Diane G Chen

In this highly readable and engaging commentary on the Gospel of Luke, Diane Chen introduces her readers to the particularities of the world of Jesus, steeped in Jewish history and convictions yet threatened by Roman power and hegemony. In story after story, Chen brings to focus the diligence of a faithful historian, the artistry of a masterful storyteller, and the courage of an insightful theologian behind this well-loved Gospel. In it Luke presents God's plan of salvation in the birth and death, word and deed, and identity and mission of Jesus of Nazareth--a plan that is unapologetically counterintuitive: the proud is humbled and the lowly is lifted up; the ostracized is embraced and the religious elite is rejected. Modern readers will receive more than a lucid explanation of the biblical text; they will be challenged to find their own place in Jesus' story, one that encourages self-reflection and necessitates a personal response. ""This new commentary on Luke further establishes Diane Chen's credentials as scholar committed to the church.While sensitively attending to the interaction of text and context, she is also attuned to the impact of the text upon faith and praxis.The work deftly balances exegetical, historical, and pastoral insights, and is a readable and reliable guide to the Gospel of Luke. More than that, her love for this gospel and her passionate commitment to its narrative of salvation shines through the pages of this commentary."" --Marianne Meye Thompson, George Eldon Ladd Professor of New Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary ""Like Luke, who portrays Jesus as the Messiah on a journey to seek and save the lost, Diane Chen, a knowledgeable and delightful 'tour guide, ' takes her readers on an exciting journey to discover the meaning of the gospel for all in the Gospel of Luke. She asks important questions of text and contexts, and provides the best scholarly research judiciously and lucidly. Her personal and critical reflection of theological themes exemplifies the best practice of biblical interpretation--fusing scriptural and modern horizons, and articulating life and ministry applications. This engaging commentary informs and inspires."" --John Yieh, Molly Laird Downs Professor of New Testament, Virginia Theological Seminary Diane G. Chen is Professor of New Testament at Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University, St. Davids, Pennsylvania. She is the author of God as Father in Luke-Acts (2006) and Let Me More of Their Beauty See: Reading Familiar Verses in Context (2011).

"God as Father in Luke-Acts" argues that 'Father' is the central image for God in Luke-Acts by tracing a line of continuity in the portrayal of God as Israel's merciful, faithful, and authoritative Father from the Old Testament to Luke-Acts and its Second Temple Jewish milieu. The fulfillment of the promises to Abraham, David, and Israel in Jesus is best understood as the fatherly actions of Israel's God. Furthermore, the striking similarities between God as Father and Augustus as "Pater Patriae" undermine the assertion of the Lukan view of the Roman Empire as highly polemical.