Formal Education Of The Author Of Luke-acts

Steve Reece argues that the author of Luke-Acts was aware of many literary works that formed a part of basic Hellenistic literate education - Homer, Aesop, Epimenides, Aratus, Euripides, and some works of Plato - and makes his case for Luke's knowledge of these authors by proving that they were indeed well known (from papyrological and citational data) at the likely time of Luke's composition, and that there is sufficient density of allusions.

Reece demonstrates that the author's knowledge of Greek works is easier to find and assess than his possible knowledge of Latin, such as Virgil. He reinforces the knowledge that the New Testament writers lived in a cultural milieu heavily influenced by Classical and Hellenistic Greek literature, and that the author of Acts aimed to position his work within the tradition of Greek history and newly popular Greek narrative motifs. In focusing solely upon Luke-Acts, Reece is able to explore the evident Hellenistic education of the author (including the content of the curriculum, and the papyrological evidence of school exercises), his potential familiarity with Greek authors, and the influence of each of these major authors upon his work.