The Spirit and the 'Other': Social Identity, Ethnicity and Intergroup Reconciliation in Luke-Acts

Kuecker uses an artillery of social identity theory to demonstrate that in Luke's narrative the Spirit is the central figure in the formation of a new social identity. In his argumentation Kuecker provides extended exegetical treatments of Luke 1-4 and Acts 1-15. He shows that Luke 1-4 establishes a foundation for Luke's understanding of the relationship between human identity, the Spirit, and the 'other' - especially as it relates to the distribution of in-group benefits beyond group boundaries. With regard to Acts 1-15, Kuecker shows that the Spirit acts whenever human identity is in question in order to transform communities and individuals via the formation of a new social identity.

Kuecker argues that Luke depicts this Spirit-formed social identity as a different way of being human in community, relative to the normative identity processes of other groups in his narrative. This transformed identity produces profound expressions of interethnic reconciliation in Luke-Acts expressed through reformed economic practice, impressive intergroup hospitality, and a reoriented use of ethnic language.

• Table Of Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations
• Index of Tables
• 1: The Holy Spirit in Luke-Acts: Tracing the History of Research
• 2: Social Identity and the 'Other': A Methodological and Historical Overview
• 3: Expanding the Ethnic Horizon: The Spirit and Allocentric Identity in Luke 1-2
• 4: Critiquing Defective Identities: Spirit-empowered figures and In-group Bias in Luke 3-4
• 5: Initiating a Scandal of Universal Particularity: The Spirit in Acts 1-2
• 6: Consumating a New Identity: The Community Summaries and the Identity-forming Power of a Group
• 7: Incorporating the 'Other': The Spirit and Superordinate Identity
• 8: Transcending Identity: The Spirit and Trans-Ethnic Identity in Acts 10-15
• 9: Conclusion
• Bibliography