narrative, conforms in certain respects to the typical pattern of ancient literary prologues, the wording is not to be regarded as simply a piling up of conventional expressions with little or no regard being paid to their content. Luke has rather made use of the common literary pattern of his time to express his own particular sentiments. The point in the adoption of the conventional form is that Luke was claiming for his work a place in contemporary literature and thereby commending it to the attention
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