Failure and Prospect: Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31) in the Context of Luke-Acts

Description

Bredenhof analyses the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31) by examining its functions as a narrative, considering its persuasiveness as a rhetorical unit, and situating it within a Graeco-Roman and Jewish intertextual conversation on the themes of wealth and poverty, and authoritative revelation. The parable portrays the consequences of the rich man’s failure to respond to the suffering of Lazarus. Bredenhof argues that the parable offers its audience a prospect for alternative outcomes, in response both to poverty and to a person who has risen from the dead. This prospect is particularly evident when the parable is read in anticipation of the ethical and theological concerns of Luke’s second volume in Acts. Bredenhof asserts that reading within the context of Luke-Acts contributes to the understanding of Luke’s purposes with this narrative. It is in Acts that his audience witnesses the parable’s message about mercy being applied through charitable initiatives in the community of believers, while the Acts accounts of preaching and teaching demonstrate that a true reading of “Moses and the prophets” is inseparably joined to the believing acceptance of one risen from the dead. Through a re-reading of Luke 16:19-31 in its Luke-Acts context, its message is amplified and commended to the parable’s audience for their response. Cover Title Copyright Contents Acknowledgments Chapter 1. The Continuing Study of Luke 16:19–31 1. Introduction 2. A Wealth of Scholarship 3. The Parable’s Unity 4. The Parable’s Origin 5. The Parable’s Principal Themes 6. Methodology Review 7. The Parable in Relation to Luke-Acts 8. Towards a Multi-dimensional Methodology Chapter 2. Luke 16:19–31 as Narrative 1. Hearing Luke’s Story 2. The Speaker and the Hearers 3. The Lukan Narrative Context 4. The Parable’s Narrative Setting 5. The Parable’s Discourse 6. The Parable’s Characters and Characterization 7. The Sequence of Narrative Events 8. Understanding Luke’s Story 9. Excursus: Naming Lazarus Chapter 3. Rhetoric in Luke 16:19–31 1. Why a Parable? 2. Hearing Luke’s Rhetoric 3. A Question of Form: Looking for Rhetorical Models for the Parables 4. A Question of Function: What Is the Purpose of the Rhetoric in Luke 16:19–31? 5. Conclusions on the Parable’s Rhetoric Chapter 4. Intertextuality in Luke 16:19–31 1. The Creation of Texts 2. Listening for the Principal Themes and Motifs of Luke 16:19–31 3. Choosing Dialogue Partners 4. Voices on Poverty and Possessions 5. Voices on Messengers from the Afterlife 6. Conclusions on Intertextuality in Luke 16:19–31 7. Continued Echoes of the Conversation in Acts Chapter 5. Luke 16:19–31 within Luke-Acts 1. Reading the Parable Intratextually 2. Reading Luke and Acts Together 3. Identifying the Parable’s Themes 4. Riches and Poverty in Luke-Acts and the Parable 5. Authoritative Revelation in Luke-Acts and the Parable 6. Summary and Interpretive Outcomes Chapter 6. Conclusions and Implications 1. Failure and Prospect 2. Interpretive Outcomes and Conclusions 3. Implications from the Study 4. Areas of Further Research Bibliography Index of References Index of Authors