The Fate of the Jerusalem Temple in Luke-Acts

What was Lukes attitude to the Jerusalem temple? Steve Smith examines the key texts which concern the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in Luke-Acts. Smith proposes that Acts 7 is a fuller discussion of the material contained in the Gospel sayings on this subject, which themselves make frequent allusion to the Old Testament and the interpretation of which thus requires an understanding of Lukes use of the Old Testament. Accordingly, in this work, Steve Smith makes a thorough review of Lukes use of the Old Testament, and proposes that relevance theory is a capable hermeneutical tool to permit the reconstruction of how Lukes readers would have understood references to the Old Testament. Using this approach, the key texts from Luke-Acts are examined sequentially, and Lukes apparent criticism of the temple is examined in a new light.