Marketing the brand

In the economy of salvation, marketing the brand is important. This is as true today as it was in the first century of Christianity. We know that the victory model of salvation was widely used successfully in early Christianity. This is probably because both Jews and Greeks knew a world dominated by hostile powers. The resurrection is the trophy of victory in this theme. It is an integral part of the defeat of death. Salvation by divine victory over the adversary is a Lucan theme with deep scriptural roots.

Soteriological themes are linked with Christological terms. This soteriological idea of victory would work best with the savior who is God in person, but the firm monotheism of the first followers of Jesus would find such a figure impossible to incorporate into the theme. The paradigm shift did not take place overnight. Initially the followers of Jesus presented the idea in a typically Jewish fashion. In discussing the “finger of God” it was noted that Luke engaged a pesher “This is that” argument before a Jewish audience. Such an audience would have regarded God as the true author of miracle (Acts 2:22), in a typical Jewish fashion. Luke, in the same fashion, stated that “God raised him up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”

Marketing the victory motif is a theme to which I intend to return as I attempt to understand the significance of Luke having no theology of the cross.

Copyrighted 2006

Religion

Christianity

Gospel of Luke