The Priestly Blessing of the Risen Christ

This book breaks new ground for an important text in the Gospel of Luke (24, 50-53), by studying the priestly blessing with regard to its Old and New Testament background and by presenting an exposition of the Lucan theology of blessing. Supported by patristic and liturgical evidence, mainly from the Syriac Orient, the author substantiates his argument that the final blessing of the risen Christ is priestly. While this bible passage has traditionally been interpreted only as a description of the Ascension, the author shows that it also contains the Lucan theology of blessing in a nutshell and argues for a new hermeneutics in Lucan studies.