Luke’s version of Jesus’ eschatological discourse (21:5–36) diverges in several ways from the versions of the other two Synoptic Gospels, and in some of the passages where it does, it appears to be drawing from common vocabulary, idioms, and concepts of Classical and Hellenistic Greek literature. I propose two reasons for Luke’s divergences. First, and more generally, they make Luke’s version of the discourse, which is much more public and open than Mark and Matthew’s private, esoteric, and cryptic versions, more relatable and appealing to a wider gentile audience. Second, and more specifically, they result in a presentation of the destruction, or imminent destruction, of Jerusalem from a perspective somewhat different from the other Synoptic Gospels: as a form of divine punishment upon the unrepentant Jews for their rejection of Jesus as Messiah. Most poignantly, by invoking a passage from Hesiod (Op. 238–247) that was a famous, seminal, mythic text about divine judgment—blessings for the just and punishments for the unjust—Luke brings this topic to the surface in his own narrative.

Moses praying with his arms “raised” (ἐπῆρεν Μωυσῆς τὰς χεῖρας) (Exod 17:11)—an ancient Mediterranean prayer gesture—became a Christological prefiguration of the Crucifixion when Jesus “stretched out his arms” on the cross. Many authors understood it to mean “stretching out sideways.” Origen, however, pointed out that such exegesis was lexically and semantically incorrect although he preserved the Christological meaning of the gesture. The analysis of texts confirms that the symbolic parallel between Moses’ prayer gesture and the Crucifixion was seen precisely in the raising of arms, the upward motion, which is natural if a T-shaped cross is involved.