Original Research

What does kαθεξῆς in Luke 1:3 mean? Discovering the writing order of the Gospel of Luke

Benjamin W.W. Fung, Aida B. Spencer, Francois P. Viljoen
In die Skriflig/In Luce Verbi | Vol 51, No 1 | a2218 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/ids.v51i1.2218 | © 2017 Benjamin W.W. Fung, Aida B. Spencer, Francois P. Viljoen | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 16 November 2016 | Published: 23 May 2017

About the author(s)

Benjamin W.W. Fung, Faculty of Theology, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, South Africa
Aida B. Spencer, Faculty of Theology, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, South Africa and Department of New Testament Studies, Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, United States
Francois P. Viljoen, Faculty of Theology, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, South Africa

Abstract

In the preface of his Gospel Luke says that he is going to write ‘in an orderly account’ (καθεξῆς). However, scholars have no consensus about the kind of order Luke is seeking. This article aims to ascertain the meaning of καθεξῆς through a detailed study of this word, which includes a study of its usages in the Bible, its etymology, related words, and its meaning in contemporary Greek usages. This article proposes that καθεξῆς most likely refers to chronological order.


Keywords

καθεξῆς; Luke; chronological; logical; writing order

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Crossref Citations

1. Do the writing methodologies of Greco-Roman historians have an impact on Luke’s writing order?
Benjamin W.W. Fung, Aida B. Spencer, Francois P. Viljoen
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies  vol: 73  issue: 3  year: 2017  
doi: 10.4102/hts.v73i3.4623