Ep. #28 – Luke’s Historical Gospel with Fr. Pablo T. Gadenz

by John DeRosa · Published February 18, 2019 · Updated February 18, 2019

Summary

Fr. Pablo T. Gadenz, a scholar of Sacred Scripture, joins us to defend the historicity of Luke’s Gospel. He presents strong evidence for traditional authorship and explains how Luke’s Gospel belongs to the genre of ancient biography. Fr. Gadenz highlights some unique emphases in his recent commentary on the Gospel of Luke. He also answers the skeptical objection that the Gospels have too many differences to be trusted.

Guest Bio

Fr. Pablo T. Gadenz, a priest of the Diocese of Trenton, NJ, is Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology at Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey. He teaches courses on the New Testament, such as the Synoptic Gospels and Johannine Literature. He is the author of a recently released commentary on the Gospel of Luke for the popular “Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture” series (published by Baker Academic).

Show Outline

In the first segment, we discuss issues related to the historicity of Luke’s Gospel. Why think Luke is writing history? Is there evidence supporting Luke as the real author of the Gospel? What about Luke’s historical error in chapter 2 regarding Quirinius? Fr. Gadenz provides excellent answers.

In the second segment, Fr. Gadenz discusses the theology of Luke’s Gospel. He explains the Old Testament connections related to Mary as the ark of the New Covenant. He also defends an allegorical interpretation of the parable of the good Samaritan. Additionally, he presents an example of special Luke material that contains Jesus’ “mission statement.”

Finally, Fr. Gadenz answers a skeptical objection from differences in the Gospels. He concludes by exhorting us to study the Scriptures more deeply and prayerfully.