the role of the lukan parables in terms of the purpose of luke's gospel

sources regarding conversion texts, 5 distinctive conversion texts unique to Luke, 6 and the
interrelation of conversion as a topic with others in the gospel. 7
Even though Luke has a
special interest in conversion, his concept of conversion, as will be confirmed below, at no
point differs from the idea of conversion in the New Testament outside of Luke-Acts.
It is widely thought that conversion language in the New Testament, , ,
stems from the Old Testament notion of conversion, , “to turn, to turn back” which is used
in both its literal and figurative senses, although is translated as , “to turn, be
converted,” in the LXX, instead of which translates the Hebrew , “to regret
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something, to alter one’s purpose out of pity.” In the New Testament, the basic meaning of
for conversion represents a change of mind, a change of direction, or an act of
repentance. The term in the New Testament denotes turning away from sin, evil,
or godlessness and turning toward God, Jesus, and a righteous life. 9 According to J.N.
Bailey, 10
the term in the New Testament is used mostly to represent turning from
sin to God by Gentiles who converted from idolatry to Christianity, by Christians turning
in Greek-Speaking Judaism and Early Christianity,” in ed., Patrick Gray and Gail R. O’Day, Scripture and
Traditions: Essays on Early Judaism and Christianity in Honor of Carl R. Holladay (Leiden; Boston: Brill,
2008), 69-95, especially 88-89.
5. See David Ravens, Luke and the Restoration of Israel (JSNTSup 119; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press,
1995), 144-50.
6. Lk 7:36-50; 13:1-5, 6-9; 15:8-10, 11-32; 16:19-31; 19:1-10; 23:39-43; 24:44-49 and Acts 2:14-40; 3:12-26;
5:27-32; 8:18-24, 26-40; 9:11-18; 10:1-11:18; 13:24; 16:11-15, 16-34; 19:1-7; 20:21; 22:1-16; 26:1-23.
7. By connecting conversion with other themes, especially forgiveness and reconciliation, salvation, the mercy
of God, and joy, Luke expands the understanding of conversion. Moreover some scholars try to show how
conversion in Luke-Acts contributes to Lukan theology. See Guy D. Nave, The Role and Function of
Repentance in Luke-Acts (AcadBib 4; Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2002), 29-38. He argues that
repentance in Luke-Acts is part of the plan of God within the inclusio formed by the theme “fruits worthy of
repentance” (Luke 3:8 and Acts 26:20). Ravens, Luke and the Restoration of Israel, 139-44, believes that
repentance in Luke is inextricably linked to the Jewish covenant, that is, repentance is the process of restoring
sinners into relationship with God.
8. There are some scholars who raise a question on the grounds that is not the equivalent of , since
is always translated as in the LXX. In recent years, James G. Crossley suggests, however, a
possible solution that the Gospel writers with a standpoint of the inclusion of gentiles in the Christian
community would have discarded which was consistently used to describe Jews re-turning to God,
and instead taken without such a meaning, so as to avoid an exclusive reference to Jews re-turning to
God in particular in the messages of John the Baptist and Jesus. James G. Crossley, “The Semitic Background to
Repentance in the Teaching of John the Baptist and Jesus,” JSHJ 2.2 (2004), 138-57. J. Behm, ‘,
’, TDNT, IV, 989-1022, here 990, also views as the equivalent of which has
the same sense of , “to turn,” “to convert.” For an opposing argument, see also A. Boyd-Luter, “Repentance,
New Testament,” ABD, V, 672-74, here 673; Guy D. Nave, The Role and Function of Repentance in Luke-Acts,
119-20.
9. Witherup, Conversion in the New Testament, 18-21.
10. J.N. Bailey, ‘Repentance in Luke-Acts,’ 288-89.
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