The Parable of the Foolish Rich Man (Luke 12:16–20) and Graeco-Roman Conventions of Thought and Behavior

Abstract

This chapter focuses on Luke's passage that deals with the question by someone from the crowd regarding inheritance (Luke 12:13) and Jesus' response to it (12:14-21), especially as he tells the parable of the rich fool (12:16-20). The author prefers to call it the parable of the foolish rich man. The chapter proposes two widely attested Graeco-Roman intellectual conventions for the interpretation of the parable: one a rhetorical form and the other a habit of thought. In addition to these intellectual conventions, the chapter clarifies several social features in the parable that have been neglected or even misinterpreted by scholars because their ancient context has been overlooked. To accomplish these tasks will require moving beyond the moralists to other genres of Graeco-Roman literature, but especially the Greek novel. Finally, the author makes a variety of observations based on the interlocutor's question and Jesus' response. Keywords: Graeco-Roman Convention; Greek novel; Jesus; Luke's gospel; parable of the foolish rich man; Paul