Lukan Joy and the Life of Discipleship

In this study, Julie Newberry advances scholarship on emotions in biblical literature by examining the conditions that is, the circumstances, dispositions, practices, and commitments that lead to joy in Luke's narrative. Focused primarily on the Gospel, the author traces joy's interconnection with the wider life of discipleship, using an eclectically interdisciplinary approach that foregrounds literary-theological and intertextual analysis. Julie Newberry argues that, for Luke, the conditions that facilitate appropriate joy include both divine action to bring about joy-conducive circumstances and human receptivity. The latter is bound up with factors such as properly oriented hope, trust, and the generous use of possessions, rendering intelligible Luke's portrayal of joy as mandatory, praiseworthy, or blameworthy in particular circumstances.