Taking Away the Pound Women, Theology and the

Against the majority opinion, this study argues that the Lukan Parable of the Talents (Lk 19.11-28) is a story about the use and abuse of power. The parable is also the story of those who suffer adverse consequences when they oppose unjust power structures. This suppression of challenge to oppressive structures evidenced in the Parable of the Pounds fits a pattern that operates in other parts of the Lukan Gospel. We meet it, for example, in the arrest and killing of John the Baptist by Herod, and in the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus. The Parable of the Pounds can be seen as a paradigm for the stories of those characters in the Lukan Gospel who 'lose their pound' when they challenge an oppressive structure, where 'pound' becomes a metaphor for what one has that can be potentially taken away by those in a position of power. This study argues that this pattern of 'taking away the pound' is also seen within stories of women characters who resist patriarchal ideals and expectations. The Parable of the Pounds is used as a lens through which to view the characterizations of Lukan women. New lenses provide new opportunities for perception. This study explores what is opened up by this way of viewing the text. In particular, it explores the ways in which the dynamic of the Parable of the Pounds gives insight into the dynamic operating in the Lukan women's characterizations. LNTS>

Elizabeth V. Dowling is a Lecturer in the School of Theology at the Australian Catholic University.

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Abbreviations	p. x
Introduction	p. 1
Hermeneutical Framework and Methodology	p. 3
Women and Slaves in the Greco-Roman World	p. 11
The Oppression of Silencing	p. 18
Public and Private Space	p. 31
Outline of Chapters	p. 44
The Parable of the Pounds and Lukan Women: The Current State of Scholarship	p. 46
Scholarship on the Parable of the Pounds	p. 46
The Failure of the Third Slave	p. 46
Honoring the Third Slave	p. 52
Conclusions from the Literature Review of the Parable of the Pounds	p. 59
Scholarship on Women in the Gospel of Luke	p. 60
The Gospel for Women	p. 60
The Need for Watchfulness	p. 63
Conclusions from the Literature Review of the Lukan Women	p. 68
Reading the Parable of the Pounds	p. 69
The Nature of 'Parable'	p. 69
The Matthean Parable of the Talents	p. 73
Lukan Context for the Parable of the Pounds	p. 75
Structure of the Parable of the Pounds	p. 77
Reading the Parable - The Opposition of the Citizens	p. 80
Reading the Parable - Calling the Slaves to Account	p. 85
Lukan Theology and the Parable of the Pounds as Metaphor	p. 97
Lukan Theology	p. 97
Visitation and Hospitality	p. 99
Proclaiming and Embodying Release	p. 100
Social Justice Ethos	p. 102
Death and Resurrection	p. 105
Salvation	p. 108
The Parable as Metaphor	p. 110
John the Baptist	p. 112
Jesus	p. 113
Reading Metaphorically	p. 115
The Characterization of Women	p. 117
The Characterization of Women in the Narrative of Luke 1-2	p. 119
Elizabeth Introduced	p. 120
Mary Introduced	p. 123
The Meeting of Elizabeth and Mary	p. 126
Elizabeth Names Her Son	p. 130
Mary Gives Birth	p. 133
Anna in the Temple	p. 135
Mary Speaks in the Temple	p. 138
Other References to Mary	p. 139
Conclusion	p. 140
The Characterization of Women in the Narrative of Luke 3-24	p. 142
Simon's Mother-in-law	p. 142
The Widow at Nain	p. 144
The Woman who Anoints Jesus' Feet	p. 146
Women With Jesus	p. 149
Jairus' Daughter and a Woman With a Hemorrhage	p. 156
Martha and Mary	p. 160
A Woman in the Crowd	p. 165
The Woman With a Spirit of Infirmity	p. 167
The Widow With Two Coins	p. 169
A Slave-Woman	p. 170
The Daughters of Jerusalem	p. 171
The Women from Galilee	p. 172
Women in Parables	p. 178
The Woman With Ten Coins	p. 179
The Widow Seeking Justice	p. 182
Conclusion	p. 185
Women, the Parable of the Pounds and Lukan Theology	p. 186
What is 'Gained'?	p. 187
The Pound Taken Away	p. 189
Women Disbelieved by Other Characters	p. 189
Women Corrected	p. 190
Women's Words Not Recorded	p. 192
Women as Demon-Possessed	p. 194
Women Who Do Not Speak	p. 196
The Cumulative Narrative Effect	p. 197
Women in Lukan Parables	p. 201
Women's Resistance	p. 202
Power Inequities	p. 204
Release for the Oppressed?	p. 206
Acclamation	p. 208
Conclusion	p. 210
Summary of Findings	p. 210
Implications for the Twenty-first Century	p. 213
Bibliography	p. 216
Ancient Texts and Translations	p. 216
Grammatical Tools	p. 217
General	p. 218
Index of References	p. 239
Index of Authors	p. 249
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Taking Away the Pound Women, Theology and the Parable of the Pounds in the Gospel of Luke

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