Luke’s Worldview: A Study of the Oikoumene in Luke-Acts Deok Hee Jung Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of History Institute for Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies 2017 1 ABSTRACT The present study argues that one of the ways Luke redefines the idea of the world is by exploring the meaning of oikoumene, “the inhabited world.” This Greek term was a representative concept to signify the Mediterranean World. Subsequently the term oikoumene was embraced by other cultures which needed a concept to portray the world, such as that of the Romans and the Jews. Each culture adopted the term but distinctively adapted it within its own context. As a result, the term included various meanings—political, cultural, and religious—by the first century CE. These contextual interpretations reflect the fact that each culture established its own subjective worldview, namely a self-centred way of thinking. Subsequently, within the context of various worldviews, it was necessary for the biblical authors to clarify how audiences would perceive the oikoumene they inhabited. Luke employs the term oikoumene eight times in his two-volume book. His usages of the term reflect the various political, cultural, and religious conceptions of the oikoumene in his time. For Luke, the oikoumene is the world ruled by Roman hegemony in terms of politics and the pagan cult in terms of religion, but the oikoumene should be restored by Jesus and then his followers within their eschatological hope. It is remarkable that these views converge within the Acts narrative, thereby drawing an image of the inhabited world. Luke superimposes two contrasting worlds in Acts. Firstly, Luke exploits the prominent discourse of the Greeks about the inhabited world but within this he resorts to the Jewish reliance on an ancestral theme to describe the inhabited world, thereby providing a schematic picture of that inhabited world created by God in terms of geographic features and ethnic origin. Furthermore, Luke attempts to depict the world before his eyes which is, absolutely, the Roman oikoumene. Luke implies that the world portrayed in Acts 2 is established according to the Roman oikoumene, thereby creating a newly constructed oikoumene. Acts is a narrative in which the Roman oikoumene is retrieved into the world that Luke envisages in Acts 2. For Luke, the ideal oikoumene is the newly-restored world founded upon the Roman world. i CONTENTS ABSTRACT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi ABBREVIATIONS vii ILLUSTRATIONS xi Introduction 1 Chapter 1. The Oikoumene in the Graeco-Roman World 15 1.1. The Oikoumene in the Greek World 15 1.1.2. The Shape of the Oikoumene 15 1.1.2.1. The Classical Period 15 1.1.2.2. The Hellenistic Period 18 1.1.3. Construction of the Oikoumene 25 1.1.3.1. Centre 25 1.1.3.2. Periploi and Travels 26 1.1.3.3. Edge 28 1.1.4. The Oikoumene and its People 30 1.1.4.1. Inhabitants 30 1.1.4.2. Ethnocentrism 33 1.1.5. Summary 36 1.2. The Oikoumene in the Roman World 37 1.2.1. The Shape of the Oikoumene 38 1.2.2. The Oikoumene Conquered in a Political Sense 41 1.2.2.1. The Oikoumene Subjugated to the Roman Empire 41 1.2.2.2. The Orbis terrarum 44 1.2.2.3. The Oikoumene and the Roman Texts in the Era of Augustus 45 1.2.2.3.1. Agrippa’s World Map 46 1.2.2.3.2. Res Gestae Divi Augusti 47 1.2.2.4. The Visual Representation of the Oikoumene 49 1.2.3. The Construction of the Roman Oikoumene 51 1.2.3.1. Centre 51 1.2.3.2. Roman Provinces and Network 55 1.2.3.3. Edge 59 1.2.4. The Roman Understanding of the Oikoumene and its Peoples 62 1.2.4.1. List of Nations 63 ii 1.2.4.2. Universal Oikoumene 66 1.2.4.3. Roman Oikoumene and its Implicit Vertical Structure 69 1.2.4.4. Romans and Barbarians 75 1.2.5. Summary 76 1.3. The Oikoumene and Its Implications 77 1.3.1. Mental Image 77 1.3.2. Desire 80 Chapter 2. The World in the Hebrew Bible and the Second Temple Jewish Literature 82 2.1. The Worldview in the Hebrew Bible 83 2.1.1. The Cosmos and the Inhabited World 83 2.1.2. Edge 86 2.1.3. Centre 88 2.1.4. The World and its People 90 2.2. The Worldview in the Second Temple Period 95 2.2.1. The Oikoumene in the Septuagint and Apocrypha 96 2.2.2. Enoch 100 2.2.3. Jubilees 105 2.2.3.1. Geographic Aspect 106 2.2.3.2. Table of Nations 110 2.2.4. Philo 112 2.2.4.1. Image of the World 112 2.2.4.2. Oikoumene 115 2.2.5. Josephus 118 2.2.5.1. Image of the World 118 2.2.5.2. Roman Oikoumene vs. Jewish Oikoumene 121 2.3. Summary 125 Chapter 3. The Oikoumene in Luke-Acts 128 3.1. The Oikoumene in the New Testament 128 3.2. The Oikoumene in Luke 2:1 133 3.2.1. The Oikoumene and Imperial Context 133 3.2.2. Roman Political Census 135 3.2.3. Lukan Census 139 3.2.4. Luke’s Jewish Style Census 142 3.2.5. Luke’s Worldview against Roman Oikoumene 145 3.3. The Oikoumene in Luke 4:5 146 iii 3.3.1. The Oikoumene as the Realm of the Devil 146 3.3.2. Restoration for the Oikoumene 150 3.4. The Oikoumene in Luke 21:26 152 3.4.1. Catastrophe in the Oikoumene 153 3.4.2. The Oikoumene and the Son of Man 156 3.5. The Oikoumene in Acts 11:28 160 3.5.1. Universal Famine in Roman Antiquity 162 3.5.2. Famine and Prophecy 165 3.5.3. Famine and the Roman Oikoumene 167 3.6. The Oikoumene in Acts 17:6 168 3.6.1. Disturbance in Thessalonica 168 3.6.2. Trial of Jesus in Luke 23:2 171 3.6.3. Jesus’ Kingship and the Roman Oikoumene 173 3.6.4. Jewish Oikoumene 175 3.7. The Oikoumene in Acts 17:31 177 3.7.1. From Thessalonica to Athens 178 3.7.2. The Inhabited World Created by God 180 3.7.3. Judgement on the Oikoumene 186 3.8. The Oikoumene in Acts 19:27 188 3.8.1. The City of Ephesus and Artemis 188 3.8.2. The Worldwide Expansion of Artemis 191 3.8.3. Artemis within the Roman Imperial Cult 193 3.8.4. The Conflict between the Way and Artemis 194 3.8.5. The Oikoumene and Artemis 196 3.9. The Oikoumene in Acts 24:5 197 3.9.1. Paul’s Sedition 198 3.9.2. The Oikoumene as the Realm where the Diaspora Jews Inhabited 200 3.10. Summary 201 Chapter 4. The Inhabited World in the Acts of the Apostles and Its Implications 205 4.1. Overview for Luke’s Worldview in 1:8 207 4.1.1. Jesus’ Mission Statement in 1:8 208 4.1.1.1. Restoration 208 4.1.1.2. Eschatological Expectation 209 4.1.1.3. Territorial Expansion 211 4.1.2. The World before the Eyes of Luke 213 4.2. Jerusalem-Centred World 217 iv 4.2.1. Every Nation (τά ἔθνη): Peoples in the Inhabited World 218 4.2.1.1. One Root 219 Excursus: Three Keywords for Signifying Human Race in Luke-Acts 222 4.2.1.2. Divided Nations 227 4.2.1.3. They Were All Together in One Place, House 228 4.2.1.4. They Were All Together in One Place, Jerusalem 231 4.2.2. The Shape of the Inhabited World and the Centrality of Jerusalem 233 4.2.3. The World in Acts 2 within Entire Acts Narrative 238 4.3. Rome and the Ends of the World 241 4.3.1. Allusion in Acts 1:8 245 4.3.2. Toward the End: Paul’s Journey to Rome 250 4.3.3. Rome as the End in Luke’s Mental Map 253 4.4. Rome-Centred Oikoumene 254 4.4.1. Two-Continents: West-East Axis 255 4.4.2. Represented Oikoumene by Paul’s Journey 258 4.4.3. Rome as the Roman Oikoumene 262 4.5. Summary 263 Conclusion 265 BIBLIOGRAPHY 271 v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are a number of individuals to whom I want to express my gratitude for the completion of this project. I would like to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Mark Finney, who had provided me with incisive and helpful comments on my work throughout my research in Sheffield. I am grateful to my examiners, Professor Steve Walton and Professor Hugh Pyper, for sharpening my arguments. My MA advisor Professor Stephen Moore inspired the central idea behind this thesis. Professor Katherine Brown was kind enough to proofread my entire draft and offered numerous helpful comments for its improvement. I also thank Revd. Dr. Jeremy Clines was a good friend who shared my life story and gave spiritual directions during my doctoral work. Research for this thesis was assisted by funding from the Mylne Trust, UK, and Somang Presbyterian Church, Korea. My heartfelt gratitude is extended to my parents, Revd. Daeyun Jung and Kyungae Kang. Their support and steadfast prayer had always been an indispensable part of my life throughout.