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Book Review: Luke and the People of God: A New Look at Luke-Acts

approach. We find generalizations about Marcan theology which detailed textual analysis might not sustain, as in his references to "the fundamental secret" common to all the parables (p. 24), to the "mystico-sacramental" presence of the Messiah-Bridegroom with His disciples (p. 40), and to Jesus as "the object of saving faith" (p. 133). At times B. makes disconcerting comparisons with other NT books: "to use terminology derived from John 6:22 ff ' (p. 85), "when St. Paul's stress on original sin is borne in mind" (p. 158), "to use Pauline language" (p. 161). We even find the statement "Perhaps here we may discern tentative approaches to Spinoza's doctrine that virtue is its own reward" (p. 131). "Antinomies" are found in the Evangelist which are quite foreign to his thinking, e.g., "revealed theology" vs. "theological naturalism" (p. 173). As our summary indicates, there is no lack of careful analysis of particular passages. But in this book, as in his earlier work, B. is primarily concerned with interpreting the Gospel as a whole and situating it in the broader context of NT theology: "as in the case of the Law, so in the case of natural religion, St. Mark's philosophy, when considered as a whole, may be said to mediate between the contrasted doctrinal positions held by St. Paul and the author of Luke-Acts" (pp. 172-73). After all the work that has been done on Mark, it might seem paradoxical to suggest that B.'s aspirations are premature. Nevertheless, I concluded this volume not only with appreciation for the genuine insights which it contains but also with the impression that much more spadework needs to be done if truly "new light" is to be shed on the earliest Gospel.