Hosting Jesus: Revisiting Luke's Sinful Woman' (Luke 7.36-50) as a Tale of Two Hosts
The gospel narratives of Jesus' table fellowship have attracted widespread attention, both as parables of divine generosity extended to the marginalized and as examples of radical inclusion, subverting social expectations and hierarchies. Offering a close reading of Lk. 7.36-50, this article un...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage
[2017]
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| In: |
Journal for the study of the New Testament
Year: 2017, Volume: 40, Issue: 1, Pages: 30-50 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Anointing in Bethany
/ Hospitality
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| IxTheo Classification: | CD Christianity and Culture HC New Testament |
| Further subjects: | B
Forgiveness
B Hospitality B hospitality (cycles of) B Narratives B Reciprocity B Gift-giving B Mutuality B Apocryphal Gospels B Religious Aspects B Jesus Christ B Ambiguity |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The gospel narratives of Jesus' table fellowship have attracted widespread attention, both as parables of divine generosity extended to the marginalized and as examples of radical inclusion, subverting social expectations and hierarchies. Offering a close reading of Lk. 7.36-50, this article uncovers an equally strong emphasis on mutuality and reciprocity, which is too often overlooked by exegetes. Drawing on anthropological insights about hospitality, this article argues that the pericope can be read as the forming, disturbing and re-creating of cycles of hospitality. The woman's gestures are shown to be highly ambiguous; they were likely not deciphered as gestures of hospitality. It is only through Jesus' intervention that the woman's actions are reframed as expressions of generous hospitality. Jesus, who never leaves his role as guest, thus brings the woman into direct competition with Simon, the original host. The woman alone has properly hosted Jesus by approaching him lovingly as the divine saviour. |
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| ISSN: | 1745-5294 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the New Testament
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0142064X17723476 |