摘要：The Topos of Divine Testimony in Luke-Acts is the result of James R.McConnell’s dissertation, supervised by Mikeal Parsons at BaylorUniversity. The title clearly reflects the purpose of this study: to examinethe rhetorical device of divine testimony, via words and deeds, in theworks of Luke the evangelist (Luke-Acts) in light of this topos in Greco-Romannarratives. McConnell argues that this topos was one of the most authoritativeelements that orators evoked in order to persuade their audiences. Theopening lines of Luke’s second volume (Acts) reveal that the author mighthave had a similar strategy: ‘In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealtwith all that Jesus began to do and teach’ (Acts 1.1). This dual focus in Luke’sfirst book, on Jesus’ deeds and teachings, might be the same approach in hissecond book, focusing on Jesus’ disciples.
