Does Luke Compare to Ancient Historians? | James Morgan

Exploring the Language of Scripture

In this episode of Exploring the Language of Scripture, Daniel Mikkelsen is joined by James Morgan—a deacon, educator, and biblical scholar—for a wide-ranging conversation on how Luke’s Gospel and the Book of Acts compare to ancient Greek historians like Herodotus.

Drawing on years of experience teaching biblical languages across Europe and Africa, James offers a compelling case for reading Luke-Acts as part of the broader tradition of ancient historiography. Together, they explore Luke’s use of eyewitnesses, the role of divine action in historical writing, and the narrative techniques—such as structured speeches and biographical elements—that Luke shares with Greek writers of the classical world.

Whether you're new to the idea of genre in biblical literature or curious about how ancient readers understood “history,” this episode will give you a fresh perspective on the literary and theological sophistication of Luke-Acts—and why it still matters for how we read Scripture today.

📢 Don’t Miss the Next Episode:
In our next conversation, Daniel speaks with Dr Michael Dormandy about how early Christians built and transmitted “a book of books”—and what that means for our understanding of the New Testament (biblical) canon.

🎯 Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction and Opening Remarks
01:37 - Meet James Morgan: Scholar, Deacon, Global Teacher
05:42 - From Rome to Bern: A Life with Biblical Languages
09:32 - Greek Insights That Change How We Read Scripture
26:11 - Why Compare Luke-Acts with Ancient Greek Historians?
33:26 - Who Was Herodotus—and Why Does He Matter for Christians?
40:38 - Why Historical Context Helps Us Read the Bible Faithfully
43:44 - How Luke and Herodotus Both Wrote “History with Meaning”
47:11 - Eyewitness Testimony: How Ancient Historians Used It
54:13 - The Power of Speeches in Ancient History and Acts
56:27 - Is Luke’s Gospel an Ancient Biography (Bios)?
01:03:04 - Luke-Acts: Two Volumes, One Story About Jesus
01:08:04 - Does Ancient History Help Us Read the Gospels Better?
01:12:57 - What This Means for Us: Reading Scripture as Participants in the Story

Please, let us know what you thoughts on the episode.

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Podcast Keywords:
biblical languages, New Testament, Old Testament, Christ, bible study, Relationship with God, learn biblical languages, Biblical Theology, Christianity, Covenants, New covenant, old covenant, language acquisition, Biblical Greek, Biblical Hebrew.

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1. Introduction and Opening Remarks (00:00:00)

2. Meet James Morgan: Scholar, Deacon, Global Teacher (00:01:37)

3. From USA to Rome to Bern: A Life with Biblical Languages (00:05:42)

4. Greek Insights That Change How We Read Scripture (00:09:32)

5. Why Compare Luke-Acts with Ancient Greek Historians? (00:26:11)

6. Who Was Herodotus—and Why Does He Matter for Christians? (00:33:26)

7. Why Historical Context Helps Us Read the Bible Faithfully (00:40:38)

8. How Luke and Herodotus Both Wrote “History with Meaning” (00:43:44)

9. Eyewitness Testimony: How Ancient Historians Used It (00:47:11)

10. The Power of Speeches in Ancient History and Acts (00:54:13)

11. Is Luke’s Gospel an Ancient Biography (Bios)? (00:56:27)

12. Luke-Acts: Two Volumes, One Story About Jesus (01:03:04)

13. Does Ancient History Help Us Read the Gospels Better? (01:08:04)

14. What This Means for Us: Reading Scripture as Participants in the Story (01:12:57)