A Body without a Lamp. The Pre-Lucan Pragmatics of the Instruction in Luke 11:34–36

Abstract

In the gospel’s context, the logion in Luke 11:34–36 remains unwieldy because the situational context got lost. While Luke 11:34 describes the influence of the moral disposition on the anatomical eyesight, Luke 11:35–36 addresses the compensation of missing eyesight by a true attitude, expressed as τὸ φῶς τὸ ἐν σοί. By including Luke 11:21–22 plus Luke 12:15 and Luke 11:29–30, it is conceivable that the situational context of Luke 11:34–36 was influ-enced by a visually impaired person, whose supposed indigence was contrasted with the preservation of the vested rights of an economically established group. For today’s percep-tion, the logion could be relevant if it is evaluated as an indication of acknowledgement of physical or mental otherness and the social responsibility of all people.