Sacramental Charity, Creditor Christology, and the Economy of Salvation in Luke's Gospel

In this work, Anthony Giambrone investigates the appropriation and development of Jewish charity discourse in Luke's Gospel. In contrast to previous scholarship, neither the coherence of Lukan "wealth ethics" nor its contemporary actualization defines his study. Instead, the sacramental significance of almsgiving becomes the starting point for a more theologically oriented exegesis. The end result recognizes Luke's "Christological mutation" of the inherited tradition. The text is organized around three exegetical probes, each handling parabolic material: i.e. Luke 7:36-50, 10:25-37, and 16:1-31. The author advances an approach to these parables that highlights Christological allegory (metalepsis) as a Lukan narrative device. A break is thus implied with the dominant rationalist constructions of Luke's parabolic art and ethics. Also in contrast to a dominant trend, stress is laid upon Luke's Jewish rather than Greco-Roman context. To expose the distinctly Jewish character of his charity theology, each probe centers upon an Old Testament text and line of Second Temple reception linked to Luke: i.e. Isa 61:1-2 and 11Q13; Lev 19:18 and CD 6:20; and Prov 10:2 and Tobit.