Jesus and the thoughts of many hearts

"In Luke 2:34-35, Simeon forsees the opposition Jesus will face and concludes his oracle with a vivid description of the final outcome of this opposition: '... so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed' (2:35). Bullard investigates the narrative and Christological significance of this 'revelation of thoughts' in Jesus' ministry and shows how Simeon's words are fulfilled in Jesus' ability to know the thoughts in the hearts of those whom he encounters throughout the Gospel. Bullard first explores a number of potential literary parallels to Jesus' knowledge of thoughts from Greco-Roman and Jewish sources. He then undertakes a narrative- and redaction-critical study which spans the Gospel in order to provide a full description of the 'revelation of thoughts' in Jesus' ministry. What Jesus knows and how he knows it are fundamental features of his identity. Yet the issue of whether, or how Jesus' knowledge of thoughts fits into Luke's overall Christological portrait has been given only superficial attention. Bullard offers an account of the Christological significance of Jesus' knowledge that makes sense of both its internal narrative development and external literary parallels."—