De gelijkenis van de arbeiders in de wijngaard (Mat. 20:1-16) bij Aphrahat, de Perzische wijze

Abstract

In his Demonstrationes (337-345 CE) Aphrahat gives an interpretation of the Parable of the Vineyard (Matt. 20:1-16) that fundamentally contradicts its intention: The labourers of the first hour have the right to ask for more wages (and do get more) than is promised them by the lord of the vineyard. The background of this exegesis is that for Aphrahat the value of asceticism devalues if there is an equal reward for all believers. In his argumentation, particularly in the use of Matt. 20:1-16, John 14:2 and 1 Cor. 15:41. the influence of the exegetical tradition of the Patres in the Roman Empire (Tertullian and Clement of Alexandria) is evident.