Love of God and Neighbour: The Communal Ethics of Langland’s Samaritan Parable

Abstract

This essay argues that Langland brings together moral and allegorical readings of the Samaritan parable to show the complementarity of these interpretive traditions and, ultimately, to represent communal labour as integral to divine mercy. An examination of Middle English renderings of the Samaritan parable alongside Piers Plowman reveals that Langland participated in ongoing debates about how the parable characterized the nature and scope of charity. Rather than encourage imitation, Langland suggests that people should work with the Samaritan in diverse social roles. This collaboration has both ethical and Christological implications: because humans participate in the divine community of the Trinity, for Langland, acts of social responsibility are redemptive.