Abel Aor Inyaregh

Raising of the Widow’s Son at Nain (Luke 7:11-17): Exegetical Intertextual Study of Luke-Acts as a Typology of the Elijah-Elisha Narrative

Introduction

Raising of the widow’s son at nain (luke 7:11-17): exegetical intertextual study of luke-acts as a typology of the elijah-elisha narrative. Explore the exegetical and intertextual typology between Luke-Acts and the Elijah-Elisha narrative concerning Jesus' miracle of raising the widow's son at Nain, validating its historicity.

Abstract

The most thoughtful of all the miracles Jesus performed during His earthly ministry are those in which He raised the dead. Liberal theologians, because of natural laws, objected to the logical possibility of miracles. Other folks have disputed the reality of miracles for centuries that they are merely garbage of stories that Jesus’ followers and disciples fabricated. More repeatedly, studies into the literary roots of the New Testament endeavour to connect Jesus' narrative to wonder-workers and holy men from the Greco-Roman world. The raising of a widow's son is unique to the Lukan pericope. This paper attempts to trace an intertextual relationship that exists between Luke-Acts and the Elijah-Elisha narrative. The study adopts narrative and socio-historical criticisms to investigate Luke-Acts as a typology of the Elijah-Elisha narrative, concentrating on the resuscitation of the deceased son of the widow of Nain to validate reality. The study found that the Jesus-Elijah/Elisha typology supports the authenticity and historicity of Jesus raising the dead. The major social issue in the raising of the widow of Nain’s son centres on the vulnerability of a bereaved mother whose only child had died, leaving her without family, social, or monetary upkeep, yet she found solace in Jesus.

Review

This paper proposes an exegetical intertextual study of the raising of the widow's son at Nain (Luke 7:11-17), a pericope identified as unique to Luke's gospel. The central aim is to establish a typological relationship between Luke-Acts and the Elijah-Elisha narratives in the Old Testament, particularly focusing on instances of resuscitation. Employing narrative and socio-historical criticisms, the study seeks to validate the reality of miracles and, specifically, the authenticity and historicity of Jesus raising the dead. This endeavor is framed against broader skepticism regarding miracles, objections from "liberal theologians," and attempts to connect Jesus's narrative to Greco-Roman wonder-workers. The research offers a potentially significant contribution by delving into a specific and often discussed Lukan pericope through the lens of Old Testament typology. The focus on the Elijah-Elisha narratives as a prefigurement for Jesus's miracles, particularly the raising of the dead, is a well-established area of inquiry that can yield nuanced insights into Luke's theological agenda and narrative artistry. By utilizing both narrative and socio-historical criticisms, the paper has the potential to unpack not only the literary connections but also the broader cultural and theological implications of Luke's portrayal of Jesus as a prophet akin to, yet greater than, his Israelite predecessors. The inclusion of the social dimension, highlighting the vulnerability of the bereaved mother, adds an important layer to the discussion, demonstrating the compassionate implications of Jesus's actions within his socio-cultural context. While the proposed typology is compelling, the abstract raises several critical questions that warrant careful attention in the full paper. The strong assertion that the typology "validates reality" and "supports the authenticity and historicity" of Jesus raising the dead needs robust methodological justification. Typological readings, while illuminating theological intent and narrative connections, do not inherently function as historical proofs; the paper must clearly articulate *how* such a connection substantiates historical claims, especially when framed against "liberal theologians" and natural laws. Furthermore, the initial polemical framing risks overshadowing the scholarly intertextual analysis. The paper would benefit from a more precise explanation of how its typological argument directly engages with and refutes these specific challenges, and how it differentiates the Elijah-Elisha narrative typology from connections to Greco-Roman wonder-workers, which the abstract mentions as a contrasting approach.

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