'Dalit Theology' and the Parable of the Good Samaritan

Abstract

This article attempts to give a contextual interpretation of the parable of the Good Samaritan in the light of Dalit theology in India. This is done in three parts. The first part attempts to bring out the inadequacy of the traditional historical-critical methods of biblical interpretation while stressing the importance of the socio-economic and cultural context in Indian Christian biblical hermeneutics. The second part of the article deals with the present Dalit reality and the importance of Dalit theology in India. Dalit theology is a definite breakthrough from the earlier and traditional Indian Christian theologies. There is also an attempt to relate Dalit theology to the liberation theology of Latin America and black religio-cultural and socio-economic interpre tation of the parable of the Good Samaritan. The article concludes that the parable has a life-giving message to the marginalized Dalits and a challenging message to the non-Dalits in the religious-philosophical, socio-economic and cultural context of India.