Jesus' Parable of the Rich Fool: Luke 12:13-34 among Ancient Conversations on Death and Possessions

Jesus’ Parable of the Rich Fool: Luke 12:13–34 among Ancient Conversations on Death and Possessions......Page 4
Contents......Page 8
Acknowledgments......Page 12
Abbreviations......Page 14
Introduction......Page 22
The Early–Medieval Periods......Page 30
Reformation......Page 36
Nineteenth Century......Page 40
Adolf Jülicher: A Turning Point in Scholarship?......Page 41
“Modern” Readers......Page 42
Reading The Parable with Greco-Roman Texts......Page 49
Reading the Parable with (Jewish) Wisdom Texts......Page 51
Georg Eichholz......Page 56
Egbert Seng......Page 58
Bernard Brendan Scott......Page 61
Advancing a Conversation and Filling a Gap in Scholarship......Page 62
2. The Interplay of Death and Possessions in Qoheleth and Ben Sira......Page 64
The Interplay of Death and Possessions in Qoheleth......Page 66
Qoheleth 2:1–26......Page 70
Qoheleth 3:11–22......Page 75
Qoheleth 5:9–6:2......Page 76
Qoheleth 8:8–15......Page 78
Qoheleth 9:1–10......Page 79
Qoheleth 11:7–12:8......Page 82
Conclusion to Qoheleth......Page 85
Death in Ben Sira......Page 87
Possessions in Ben Sira......Page 90
Ben Sira 11:14–28......Page 94
Ben Sira 14:3–19......Page 101
Conclusion to Ben Sira......Page 104
The Interplay of Death and Possessions in the Epistle of 1 Enoch......Page 108
Death and Divine Judgment in the Epistle of 1 Enoch......Page 110
Participating in a Conversation on Death and Possessions......Page 114
Conclusion to the Epistle of 1 Enoch......Page 121
The Interplay of Death and Possessions in the Testament of Abraham......Page 123
Death as the Primary Plot Device......Page 124
The Inevitability of Death......Page 128
Death, Wealth, and Possessions......Page 130
Making a Will/Testament......Page 132
Hospitality and Death......Page 134
Conclusion to the Testament of Abraham......Page 137
Conclusion to Chapters 2 and 3......Page 139
4. The Interplay of Death and Possessions in Lucian and Seneca......Page 144
Death and Possessions in Lucian’s Dialogues of the Dead......Page 145
The Unavoidability, Irreversibility, and Universal Fear of Death......Page 146
Death as a Reassessment of Possessions......Page 151
The Instability of Inheritance and the Distribution of Possessions......Page 162
Death and Possessions in Seneca’s Moral Epistles......Page 165
Perceptions of Death......Page 166
Wealth and Possessions......Page 170
The Interplay of Death and Possessions......Page 174
Lucian and Seneca......Page 178
5. Luke 12:13-34: Participating in a Second Temple Conversation on the Interplay of Death and Possessions......Page 180
Possessions and the Inevitability and Uncertain Timing of Death......Page 183
Death and Possessions in the Parable’s Broader Literary Context (Luke 12:4–34)......Page 187
Sapiential Elements in Luke’s Parable......Page 190
Appropriating and Reconfiguring Qoheleth and Ben Sira......Page 194
Evaluating Sapiential Recommendations Regarding Possessions......Page 197
Enjoyment......Page 198
Inheritance......Page 205
Generosity......Page 208
Hospitality......Page 209
Alms......Page 211
Conclusion......Page 215
6. The Rich Man’s Folly in Light of Sapiential Texts and the Parable’s Immediate Literary Context......Page 216
The Critique and Analysis of Greed in 12:13–21......Page 217
Alms as Divine Wealth in 12:20, 21b, 22–34......Page 224
The Folly of Saving for the Future......Page 230
Ignoring Death’s Inevitability, Uncertain Timing, and Potential Imminence......Page 234
The Dilemma of an Appropriately Acquired Surplus......Page 238
God, Anxiety, and the (Illusory) Control of Life and Possessions (12:22–34)......Page 241
Why the Man Is (and Is Not) Called a Fool......Page 245
8. Comparing the Parable of the Rich Fool in Luke and Thomas......Page 252
Conclusion: Illustrating Wisdom......Page 260
Luke’s Parables as Sapiential Narratives......Page 261
Parables and Character Formation......Page 265
Bibliography......Page 270
Index of Ancient Sources......Page 290
Index of Modern Authors......Page 317