Jacob & the Prodigal

Israel, the community to which Jesus belonged, took its name from their patriarch Jacob. His story of exile and return was their story as well.In the well-known tale of the prodigal son, Jesus reshaped the story in his own way and for his own purposes. In this work, Kenneth E. Bailey compares the Old Testament saga and the New Testament parable. He unpacks similarities freighted with theological significance and differences that often reveal Jesus' particular purposes. Drawing on a lifetime of study in both Middle Eastern culture and the Gospels, Bailey offers here a fresh view of how Jesus interpreted Israel's past, his present and their future.

Kenneth E. Bailey is a lecturer in Middle Eastern New Testament Studies and also serves as Canon Theologian of the Diocese of Pittsburgh of the Episcopal Church, U.S.A.

Figures

11

(2)

Preface

13

(8)

I. Introduction: What Does It Mean to Call Jesus a Theologian?

Jesus as a Metaphorical Theologian and the Rabbinic World

21

(6)

The Jesus Tradition and the Question of Authenticity

27

(9)

The Importance of Middle Eastern Culture for New Testament Interpretation

36

(9)

The Parable of the Prodigal Son and the ``Travel Narrative'' in Luke

45

(5)

The One and the Many in Parabolic Interpretation

50

(7)

II. The Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 Compared with the Saga of Jacob in Genesis 27---35: The Setting In Luke 15

Three Stories, One Parable

57

(8)

Seeing the Three Stories of Luke 15 as a Unity

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

65

(21)

The First Warm-up Story (Lk 15:3-7)

The Lost Coin

86

(9)

And Also Some Women (Lk 15:8-10)

To Find the Lost

95

(26)

The Parable of the Two Lost Sons (Lk 15:11-32)

III. The Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 Compared with the Saga of Jacob in Genesis 27---35: The Saga and the Parable: Comparisons and Contrasts

Jacob Revisited

121

(15)

The Jacob Story in Early Jewish Tradition and in the Mind of Jesus

The Great Rebellion

136

(20)

The Family Before t Prodigal Leaves Home (Lk 15:11-13)

The death of the father (B)

The younger son breaks relationship with the father (B)

The nature of the father (C)

The mother (C)

A father and two sons (A)

The identity of the two sons (B)

The nature of the blessing/inheritance (B)

The method of acquiring the blessing/inheritance (B)

The need for haste (A)

Deception and betrayal (B)

Estrangement from the older brother (A)

To burn or not to burn the bridges (C)

The Exile

156

(8)

The Prodigal in the Far Country (Lk 15:13-19)

The rebellious younger son in the far country (exile and return) (A)

The older son stays at home (offstage) (A)

Honorable versus dishonorable animal husbandry (B)

Community in the far country (C)

Success versus failure in the far country (C)

Fear on the eve of return (A)

Direction and purpose of return (B)

Lack of remorse (A)

Peace for the One Who Is Far Off

164

(13)

The Father Finds the Prodigal (Lk 15:20-24)

Divine visitation/incarnation (C)

Run, fall on neck and kiss (A)

The family agent (C)

The manipulative speech (B)

Reconciliation with the father (C)

The location of the meeting with the returning son (B)

The retainers and the motive of the family agent (C)

The kiss (C)

Gifts on return (C)

Dressed in the best robe (C)

The promise of land (C)

The hero of the story (C)

Characteristics of the two sons (A)

Costly love (C)

Repentance/salvation (B)

Peace for the One Who Is Near

177

(18)

The Father's Search for the Older Son (Lk 15:25-32)

The older son comes in from the field (A)

The younger son's return and the question of safety/peace (B)

On arrival at the house both older sons face ``injustice'' (B)

The older son becomes angry (B)

The father responds to his angry son (C)

The angry, aggressive speech (B)

A young goat (kid) for a meal (A)

``All that you see is mine'' versus ``All that is mine is yours'' (C)

Reconciliation with the older brother (B)

A banquet celebration (C)

Joy (C)

The evolution of the symbol of the father to a symbol for Jesus (C)

The two sons and the intended listeners/readers (C)

The Gentiles (C)

The ending: present or missing? (C)

The identity of the remembering community (A)

Two Dancers in a Single Dance

195

(10)

Reflections on N. T. Wright's Interpretation of the Parable of the Prodigal Son

IV. Significance of This Study for an Understanding of Jesus' Theology

A Summary of the Significance of the Comparisons Between Jacob and the Prodigal for Aspects of Jesus' Theology

205

(7)

Conclusions

212

(4)

Appendix Index of the Various Types of Contrasts and Comparisons

216

(3)

Bibliography

219

(6)

Index of Authors

225

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Summary

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Table of Contents

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