The Lucan Parable of the Good Samaritan and Its Interpretations in Christian Antiquity

Abstract

[ The present volume focuses on two points, the idea of humanity or human community on the one hand, and the notion of human dignity on the other, with regard to the three main religions of the Mediterranean. In part 1, five papers analyze different conceptions of humankind in ancient paganism, ancient and modern Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In part 2, six contributions are devoted to the tension between benevolence toward fellow human beings and its limits. In part 3, two chapters devoted to the issue of the absolute value of human life and the prohibition of human sacrifice, are set apart. In part 4, ethical and legal implications of the notion of human dignity are scrutinized through cases such as attitudes toward slaves, shipwrecked travellers, and criminals, as well as through a more general reflection about human rights and the different ways of understanding what human dignity implies. Keywords:ancient paganism; Christianity; human dignity; Islam; Judaism; Mediterranean , The vocabulary of hatred, imprecation, and violence, wielded by individuals against other individuals is recurrent throughout the Psalms. Among the latter, one of the most surprising is Psalm 138 (139):21-22. The striking singularity of these verses consists in the fact that the psalmist claims to hate enemies who are explicitly presented as enemies of God, and that he states that he hates them with a hatred qualified as perfect. In the language of the Bible, hatred designates a form of enmity strong enough to lead to homicide. But to hate, often means essentially to love less in a Semitic context. This paper attempts to determine what kind of interpretation these two verses have received in the tradition of the early church. Close scrutiny of this small collection of patristic commentaries on the Psalm demonstrated that these verses have often been used in the context of polemics against heretics. Keywords:Bible; early church; inquiry; patristic interpretations; polemics; psalms; usages ]