Five-minute study · Day 238 · Luke 1
Luke 1:1
A word worth stopping on: declaration/narrative διήγησις diegesis
'Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us.' The word translated 'declaration' is diegesis. It is a technical literary term. Greek historians like Polybius, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, and Lucian used diegesis to describe a formal, organized narrative account. The word belongs to the vocabulary of historiography, the discipline of writing history according to established conventions. Luke signaled his genre in his first sentence. He was telling his readers, from the opening line, that they were holding a work of careful historical research.
Word study: declaration/narrative
- Greek
- διήγησις
- Pronounced
- diegesis
- Strong's
- G1335
- Definition
- A narrative, an account, a systematic telling of events. A technical term from Greek literary criticism and historiography for an organized, sequential account of what happened. Carries connotations of careful arrangement and deliberate composition.
Diegesis appears only once in the New Testament (Luke 1:1). BDAG defines it as 'a narrative, account.' The word's significance lies in its literary pedigree. In Greek rhetorical and historical writing, diegesis was a term of art. Aristotle's 'Rhetoric' uses diegesis for the narrative portion of a speech. Polybius (c. 200-118 BC), one of the major Greek historians, uses the term for historical narrative that aims at accuracy and comprehensiveness. Lucian of Samosata's 'How to Write History' (2nd century AD) discusses diegesis as the core of the historian's craft: the orderly, truthful telling of what occurred.
Lara Alexander's monograph 'The Preface to Luke's Gospel' provides the most detailed analysis of Luke 1:1-4 in the context of Greco-Roman literary conventions. Alexander argues that Luke's preface follows the pattern of Greek 'scientific' or 'technical' prose, the kind of writing found in medical treatises, mathematical works, and specialized manuals. These works typically opened with a statement of the author's purpose, acknowledged prior works on the subject, described the author's method, and addressed a patron. Luke does all four: others have written (1:1), Luke has investigated carefully from the beginning (1:3), the purpose is that Theophilus may know the certainty of what he has been taught (1:4).
The word diegesis in verse 1 announces that Luke considers his work a formal narrative, composed with the same rigor and intentionality that characterized the best Greek historical writing. He is not writing a casual letter, a theological treatise, or a collection of sayings. He is writing a diegesis: an ordered, researched account of events. This is significant because it tells you how Luke understood his own project. He saw himself as a historian, working with sources ('eyewitnesses and ministers of the word,' 1:2), investigating everything carefully (1:3), and producing an orderly account (kathexes, 'in sequence,' 1:3).
The theological implication is that the Gospel of Luke presents itself as history. The incarnation, the teachings, the crucifixion, and the resurrection are narrated within a framework that claims historical method and historical accountability. Luke's diegesis does anchored in governors, census dates, named cities, and verifiable officials (Luke 2:1-2, 3:1-2). The first word of genre in the Gospel tradition says: this happened.
Historical context · Luke's Gospel composed approximately AD 60-80; Greek historiographic tradition spans the 5th century BC onward
Luke the Historian and the Conventions of Greek Prose
The Greek historiographic tradition that Luke joined was centuries old by the time he wrote. Herodotus (c. 484-425 BC), called the 'Father of History' by Cicero, established the pattern of systematic inquiry (historia, 'investigation') into events and their causes. Thucydides (c. 460-400 BC) raised the standard further with his insistence on autopsy (personal observation), cross-examination of witnesses, and skepticism toward received tradition. Polybius (c. 200-118 BC) wrote his 'Histories' with explicit statements of method: he traveled to the sites he described, interviewed participants, and criticized historians who wrote from libraries without field research.
Luke's preface (1:1-4) echoes these conventions. His claim to have 'had perfect understanding of all things from the very first' (1:3, parakolouthekoti anothen pasin akribos) uses language drawn from the historian's toolkit. Parakoloutheo means to follow closely, to trace, to investigate. Akribos means accurately, carefully, with precision. Anothen means from the beginning, from the source. Luke is claiming the kind of rigorous, primary-source research that Greek historians valued.
Alexander's study places Luke's preface specifically within the tradition of 'scientific treatises' addressed to a patron or student. Works like those attributed to Hippocrates (medical texts) and Dioscorides (pharmacology) opened with similar prefaces: identifying prior works, stating the author's method, and dedicating the work to a named individual. Theophilus ('lover of God' or a proper name) serves this role in Luke's dedication. Whether Theophilus was a real person or a literary address to 'any God-lover' remains debated.
The Gospel of Luke is the longest book in the New Testament. Combined with Acts (also addressed to Theophilus, Acts 1:1), Luke's two-volume work constitutes approximately 27 percent of the New Testament text. This was a massive literary undertaking. Luke researched events spanning from before the birth of John the Baptist to Paul's imprisonment in Rome, interviewing witnesses, consulting written sources (the 'many' who had 'taken in hand' to write, Luke 1:1), and organizing the material into a coherent diegesis. The literary sophistication of his Greek is among the highest in the New Testament, ranging from the elegant classical style of the preface to the Semitic flavor of the infancy narratives (chapters 1-2), suggesting Luke could adapt his prose to match his sources.
Luke's opening word choices were deliberate. By using diegesis, he placed his work on the shelf next to Polybius and Thucydides, claiming the same genre and the same accountability to evidence. The events he narrated were presented as historical events, amenable to investigation and verification. His first sentence was a statement of method.
For reflection
Luke opened his Gospel with a statement of method. He investigated. He consulted eyewitnesses. He arranged the material in order. He wrote to a named recipient. The faith you hold is built on testimony that was researched, cross-checked, and deliberately set down. This matters because a diegesis can be examined. It makes claims that can be investigated. Your faith does not require you to stop asking questions. It was written by someone who started by asking them. What is one question about the Gospel accounts that you have carried without examining? Take it to the text. Luke built his narrative for exactly that kind of reader.
Diegesis: a formal, organized narrative account. A technical term from Greek historiography. Luke chose it for his opening sentence, signaling that he was writing history.
Sources: BDAG; Alexander, 'The Preface to Luke's Gospel'; Fitzmyer, 'The Gospel According to Luke' (AB)