
Contents
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Luke 23.34a Luke 23.34a
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The Text-Critical Problem The Text-Critical Problem
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The Expiring Excuse Clause The Expiring Excuse Clause
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The Question of the Prayer’s Object The Question of the Prayer’s Object
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Echoes of Scripture in Luke 23.34a/Acts 7.60 Echoes of Scripture in Luke 23.34a/Acts 7.60
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The Intercessions of Named Biblical Prophets The Intercessions of Named Biblical Prophets
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Atonement for Inadvertent Sins Atonement for Inadvertent Sins
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Isaiah 53.12c Isaiah 53.12c
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Wisdom of Solomon Wisdom of Solomon
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Evaluation Evaluation
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Vengeance Overturned: Reading Luke’s Prayers against the Martyr’s Cry Vengeance Overturned: Reading Luke’s Prayers against the Martyr’s Cry
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Reading the Lucan Prayers alongside Hegesippus’ James Reading the Lucan Prayers alongside Hegesippus’ James
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The Relation of the Dying Forgiveness Prayers to the Sermon on the Mount/Sermon on the Plain The Relation of the Dying Forgiveness Prayers to the Sermon on the Mount/Sermon on the Plain
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The Marcionite Antithesis The Marcionite Antithesis
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Justin Martyr on Enemy Love Justin Martyr on Enemy Love
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Grammatical Intransitivity: The Perfect Subject of Christian Enemy Love and Forgiveness Grammatical Intransitivity: The Perfect Subject of Christian Enemy Love and Forgiveness
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Clemency as an Analogue for Intransitive Readings of the Dying Forgiveness Prayers Clemency as an Analogue for Intransitive Readings of the Dying Forgiveness Prayers
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Reading Transitively Reading Transitively
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Patience in Expectation of Vengeance Patience in Expectation of Vengeance
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Conclusion Conclusion
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4 “Father, Forgive Them”: The Place of the Perfect Prayer in the Construction of Christian Identity
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Published:September 2010
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Abstract
This chapter analyzes the dying forgiveness prayer of Stephen and the related prayer of the Lukan Jesus. By reading these prayers aside related bodies of literature including Maccabees and the Sermon on the Mount/Plain, it argues that these prayers are for Luke a Christian proprium. They are potentially more radical than Gospel teaching on enemy love, as Tertullian would have recognized, since the plea for forgiveness of undeserving persecutors, more so than enemy love, challenged the framework of cosmic justice, as Marcion would have affirmed. The prayer was frequently read intransitively, as idealizing the one who so prays, without having any effect on the prayer’s object, thereby functioning analogously to the Roman discourse of clemency. Those who read the prayer otherwise landed upon this radical challenge, which explains the prayer’s complicated reception history, including the scribal omission of Jesus’ forgiveness prayer (Luke 23.34a) from the Gospel of Luke.
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