The Nazareth-Pisidian Antioch Pattern and the Synagogue in Luke-Acts

I'm in the midst of writing term papers. One of them looks at the synagogue in Luke-Acts. Here's a taste of what I'm arguing:

The two most vivid depictions of a synagogue service in the New Testament occur at Nazareth and Pisidian Antioch, and they are both found in Luke-Acts. This fact alone suggests that they be considered together. But the narrative itself signals the coherence of the two episodes by numerous correspondences within and surrounding them.[1]

The course of events of Paul’s formal inaugeration into the diaspora mission imitate those at the beginning of Jesus’ mission. Jesus is baptized and receives the Holy Spirit (Luke 3.21-22); Paul, too, is commissioned by the Spirit (Acts 13.2-3). Jesus confronts and overcomes demonic forces (Luke 4.1-13); Paul confronts and bests demonic forces (Acts 13.4-12). Jesus enters Nazareth (Luke 4.16ff); and Paul enters Antioch (Acts 13.13-14).

At these locales, the mimesis becomes even more specific. Both Jesus and Paul enter a synagogue on the Sabbath (Luke 4.16; Acts 13.13), and the Scriptures are read (Luke 4.17-19; Acts 13.15) between notices concerning the different postures of the principle character (ἀνέστη . . . ἐκάθισεν, Luke 4.17 and 20; ἐκάθισεν . . . ἀναστάς, Acts 13.14 and 16).[2] The first extended proclamations of Jesus and Paul follow (Luke 4.21-27; Acts 13.16-41). Throughout both scenes the central themes are promise and fulfillment (Luke 4.21; Acts 13.17, 23-26, 32-37). Both Jesus and Paul, in different ways, anticipate the outcome of their sermons in ways that unmask the initial response of their audience (Luke 4.23-24; Acts 13.40-41). This initial response to Jesus' and Paul's words (λόγοι) is positive (Luke 4.22; Acts 13.42-43), but the final outcome is their forcible rejection (ἐξέβαλον) from the respective regions (Luke 4.28-30; 13.50). The “middle-term,” as it were, between the contrasting responses concerns non-Jews as exceptional beneficiaries of God’s salvific intentions (Luke 4.25-27; Acts 13.45).

The core of this pattern (proclamation--favourable response--rejection) gets played out, with variations but few exceptions, in Paul's diaspora mission in the synagogues.

This patterning of the narrative seems designed to reveal the importance of Israel’s response to God’s universal saving action, already anticipated in the narrative in Luke (2.32; 3.6), but postponed until the promise of the Spirit is poured out (Luke 24.46-49) in Acts.

I try to demonstrate in my paper that the setting--the synagogue--is key to interpreting these episodes and that they provide the normative motifs in which Paul's mission to synagogues should be read.

[1] These sets of correspondences are partially indebted to L.T. Johnson, Acts, 236-237 and R. C. Tannehill, Unity, 2.172.
[2] Some of the differences in the way the two scenes play out (Jesus reads from the scrolls, Paul listens) can be attributed to the fact that Jesus was recognized as a native of the Nazareth synagogue (Luke 4.16), while Paul and Barnabas were guests (Acts 13.15); this does not explain the curious reversal in standing and sitting, however.