The rhetorical power of death and possessions in Luke’s Gospel

Abstract

Luke’s Gospel displays a thorough and keen interest in the interplay of death and possessions. Although much attention has been paid to the role of wealth and possessions in Luke, hardly any studies have examined these themes in light of death. This article explores the frequent interlacing of these motifs in Luke with special attention to two parables, “The Rich Fool” and “Lazarus and the Rich Man.” Luke’s interest in these twinned themes was part of a broader cross-cultural, contested conversation on the juxtaposition of death and possessions in the ancient world. Many Egyptian, Jewish, and Greco-Roman texts inquired about whether and how a person could use wealth and possessions meaningfully in light of death’s inevitability and uncertain timing. Luke’s Gospel both participates in this disputed conversation and reconfigures certain aspects of it. Luke’s attention to the interweaving of death and possessions is evident not only in his unfolding narrative, but also in specific rhetorical strategies he employs in order to transform the lives of his readers and hearers.