FOREWORD

NEW TESTAMENT

COMMENTARY

By

WILLIAM HENDRIKSEN

Exposition

of the

Gospel According to Luke

BAKER BOOK HOUSE

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN

Copyright 1978 by William Hendriksen

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 78–58717

ISBN: 0–8010-4191–0

12 volume set, first available 2002

ISBN 0–8010-2606–7

All rights in this book are reserved. No part may be reproduced in any matter without permission in writing from the copyright holder, except brief quotations used in connection with reviews in a magazine or newspaper.

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO

MY WIFE

RETA

who typed the entire final draft of the manuscript and without whose constant help in ever so many other ways I could not have written it.

FOREWORD

This book completes my series of Commentaries on the four Gospels. The features to which the readers of my previous commentaries have become accustomed—such as my own translation, repetition of the text before each exegetical unit, summaries, conservative theology, Select and General Bibliographies, references to works and journal articles in several languages, differentiation between you (s.) and you (pl.)—are continued in the present volume.

Additional features are the following:

1. Discussion of Critical Theories, begun in N.T.C. on Matthew, pp. 54–76, is continued here, with a description and evaluation of the Redaction Theory. Though something was said about this also in N.T.C. on Mark, the present volume contains a more basic and lengthy discussion and criticism.

2. Separation of the treatment of Greek words, phrases, and constructions from the general explanation of the text. Otherwise, in a commentary of the Gospel by versatile Luke some pages would have become crowded with too many notes. The advantages of this change are: (a) the student of Greek, with his Greek New Testament before him, can study a section consecutively; and (b) the reader who is unacquainted with Greek is not bothered by constant intrusions of a language he cannot read.

3. Special Introduction to Luke’s Central Section (9:51–18:14), since this part of the evangelist’s beautiful book has given rise to doubts and problems.

4. “Practical Lessons” at the close of indicated sections have been added to the other homiletical material included in the explanation. In each case the “Practical Lessons” section is immediately followed by the discussion of “Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions.”

5. Since Luke’s Gospel is famous for its many beautiful parables, more so than any other Gospel, two special studies have been added: (a) the suggestion of an easy method of locating these parables (pp. 545–549); (b) a study of the principles and methods of parable interpretation (pp. 551–555).

6. In answer to several requests a Subject Index of the Synoptics will be found on the closing pages.

It is my prayer that the same kind reception will be given to the present volume that was accorded to those that have preceded it.

William Hendriksen