The Strength Needed to Enter the Kingdom of God: An Exegetical and Theological Study of Luke 16:16 in Context (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen Zum Neuen Testament 2.Reihe)

By means of an in-depth study of Luke 16:16 and its context, Giuseppe G. Scollo intends to draw its readers into new scholarly appreciation of one of the most ambiguous and discussed NT sayings, an authentic crux interpretum in modern scholarship, that of the so-called "violence passage," as recorded in the Gospel of Luke: "The law and the prophets lasted until John; but from then on the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone who enters does so with violence" (NAB 2011). While issues that still demand an explanation by modern-day exegetes are addressed (see the meaning of "violence" contained in the verb biazomai, the identity of the alleged "violent" agents, and the nature of their action with regard to the basileia of God), evidence warrants a new look at the teachings surrounding the Lucan verse and its narrative setting in the light of the love commandment and its Targumic interpretation Cover Titel Preface Acknowledgements Foreword Table of Contents List of Symbols and Abbreviations Chapter 1: Introduction A. Luke 16,16: A Preliminary Critical Analysis and Translation B. Matt 11,12–13: A Similar Saying but in a Different Context C. The Present State of Research: A Bundle of Unresolved Issues D. The Scope of a New Proposal and its Justification E. A Summary of the Methodological Arrangement of this Proposal Chapter 2: A History of the Interpretation of an Enigmatic Saying A. Introduction B. An Uncontested Traditional Understanding in both East and West I. The Positive Voice of the Fathers of the Church 1. The Greek Fathers a) Two Interwoven Strands: Self and God b) A Thievish and Heavenly Violence: Fasting, Prayer and Alms c) A Profitmaking Relationship: Violence and Possessions 2. The Latin Fathers a) Equivalent Features: Interwoven, Thievish and Profitable βία b) A Western Enhancement: Faith and Love c) A Western Peculiarity: Legal Categories and Concepts 3. The Patristic Vision of the Kingdom of God a) An Earthly or Heavenly Spiritual Dimension b) A Political or Ecclesial Earthly Power c) Ultimately: Eternal Life with God in Heaven II. The Positive Echo of the Middle Ages 1. In the Eastern World 2. In the Western World 3. The Medieval Vision of a Political Earthly Kingdom C. The Rise of Modern Scholarship: First Attempts and Final Impasse I. A Gradual Swing Towards the In Malam Partem Solution II. A. Schweizer and his Interpretation of βία as “Physical Violence” III. A. von Harnack and the Eventual Polarization of the Discussion D. A Summary of the Major Proposals in Recent Decades I. The Greek Impasse and the Question of a Conjectural Semitic Original II. The Question of the Jewish Background III. The Question of the Historical and Narrative Context E. Final Remarks and Preliminary Questions Chapter 3: The Saying in its Context A. Introduction B. A Look at the Narrative Context: Some Methodological Premises C. The Narrative Unit around Luke 16,16: Delimitation and Structure I. Luke 16,14–31: The Minimum Narrative Segment encompassing v. 16 II. Luke 16,1–13: A Closely Associated Narrative Segment III. Luke 16,14: A Lynchpin for the Whole Narrative Unit D. Two Sandwiching Parables I. A Few Shared Features: Introductory Remarks 1. Lexical Correspondences 2. Thematic Correspondences 3. Structural Correspondences II. The First Parable (vv. 1b–8a) 1. The Identity of “the Master/Lord” (ὁ κύριος) in v. 8a 2. The Proper Ending of the Story 3. The Narrative Plot and Structure of the Story a) The Plot from the Rich Man’s Perspective b) The Plot from the Shrewd Steward’s Perspective c) The Overall Chiastic Structure of the Story 4. The Meaning of the Master’s Praise: A Hermeneutical Crux 5. The Point of the Parable: Wise Use of Money with Eternity in View III. The Second Parable (vv. 19–31) 1. The Delimitation of the Story 2. The Structure of the Story 3. The Main Point and Function of the Story E. Two Embedded Concatenations of Sayings I. A Thematic Thread of Thought II. The Role of the Sayings in the Overall Pattern III. An Encouraging Analogous Case F. Concluding Remarks and Questions Chapter 4: The Linguistic Spectrum of the “βία-based” Lexemes A. Introduction B. The Widest Semantic Field of the “βία-terms” in Ancient Greek I. BÍA and BÍOΣ: An Etymological Liaison II. The Ancient Greek Usage: Ambiguity and “Strength” 1. The Greek Literary Source Material: Several Shades of Meaning a) A Philosophically “Naturalistic” (vs. “Moral”) Phenomenon b) A Traditional Epic Theme and its Mythological Domains c) Minor Uses and Contexts 2. The Greek Papyrological Source Material: A Significant Nuance a) Violence as a “Force” Used Against Someone Else’s Property b) Property-Owner Violation and Lawsuits Against “Violent Acts” c) “Violent Acts” and Acquisition by Usucapio or Ḥazaqah C. The Narrower Semantic Field of the “βία-terms” in Second Temple Period I. The Greek Jewish Literature: Ambiguity and “Strength” 1. The Jewish OT Greek Versions, LXX and Apocrypha a) The Use of the βία-verb, its Prefixed Forms and Translations b) The Use of the substantive βία, its Cognates and Translations 2. The Hellenistic Jewish Writings a) The Pseudepigrapha of the OT b) Philo of Alexandria c) Flavius Josephus II. The Shared Aggadic Targumic Traditions on Deut 6,5: “Strength” and “Mammon” 1. The Ritual Recitation of the Šema‘ in 1st c. Palestine 2. The Interpretations of the Text in the Jewish World D. The Appropriation and Use of the “βία-terms” in Early Christian Literature I. The NT Apocryphal Literature II. The NT Canon and Luke’s Exclusive Use of the “βία-terms” E. Concluding Remarks and Remaining Questions Chapter 5: Exegesis and Theology of Luke 16, 16 in Context A. Introduction B. Tradition and Redaction of the Text I. Author and Audience II. Sources and Form III. Redaction of Luke 16,16 C. Exegesis and Theology of the Saying in Its Remote Context I. Luke 14,25–17,10: A Narrative Sequence Within the Travel Section D. Exegesis and Theology of the Saying in Its Proximate Context I. Luke 16,15b–18: A 2nd Set of Sayings Within a Concentric Unit 1. Verse 15b: 2. Verse 16: a) 16ab: “The Law and the Prophets” – “Kingdom of God” Relationship b) 16c: The Meaning of the Phrase, “and everyone gains entrance into it” 3. Verse 17: 4. Verse 18: E. Conclusion Chapter 6: Conclusion A. The Advantageous Interpretation of an Unneeded Omission B. “Violence” and “Kingdom of God”: Problem or Good News? C. A “Violence of Love” for a Treasure in Heaven vs. a “Love of Violence” for a Treasure on Earth D. The “Strong Tones” of Asceticism and Charity: Their Theological Relevance Today Bibliography Index of References Index of Authors Cited Index of Subjects Giuseppe G. Scollo ermöglicht in dieser Arbeit durch intensives Studium von Lukas 16:16 eine komplexe Auseinandersetzung mit dem Phänomen Gewalt, wobei die Möglichkeit eröffnet wird, eine positive Verbindung zwischen "Gewalt" und "Liebe" herzustellen In this work, Giuseppe G. Scollo offers a complex understanding of the phenomenon of violence through an in-depth study of Luke 16,16, allowing for the possibility of a positive link between "violence" and "love."