“A great chasm has been fixed”: The topography of Luke 16:19-31 in Greco-Roman context

Abstract

The parable of Luke 16:19-31 depicts the afterlife with a combination of Greek and Jewish concepts. It features a χάσμα μέγα which prevents passage between the place of torment and the comfort of Abraham’s bosom, yet also permits conversation between the rich man and Abraham. The chasm complexifies the expected relation between the places of punishment and reward, resulting in divergent topographical interpretations. Because the parable is usually discussed regarding parallels with similar form and message, less emphasis has been placed on the “great chasm” which does not occur in these parallels. Nonetheless, the χάσμα μέγα is a significant trope in other Greco-Roman depictions of the afterlife. I will first examine Luke’s ethical-eschatological use of spatiality in the wider Gospel narrative; then the apparent problems created by the spatiality of the parable within that framework; and finally compare the varied Greco-Roman usages of otherworldly chasms in Hesiod, Plato, Plutarch, Lucian, and the (Hellenised Jewish) Book of the Watchers. This will produce fresh exegetical possibilities that address problems with the parable’s spatiality and help locate Luke within the Greco-Roman tradition of otherworldly chasms.