Advanced college students, seminarians, and graduate students will appreciate this broadly accessible introduction to Christianity's first historian and his work. Parsons examines Luke as a storyteller within the context of ancient rhetorical criticism as practiced in the Hellenistic world and as represented by the Hellenistic rhetorical tradition. Moving on to Luke as an interpreter of traditional materials and social conventions, he ends with an exploration of Luke the evangelist, and his view of Jesus as a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory of the people of Israel. Considering these three angles of vision and the clarity each one provides for understanding Luke and Acts, Parsons offers a significant contribution to the overall appreciation for luke's literary and theological accomplishments.