'Do this in remembrance of Me : The Christological and social significance of Luke 22:14-30 for restoring human dignity

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Using social-rhetorical hermeneutics, this study examines Jesus' statement 'Do this in remembrance of Me during the last meal He had with his disciples before He went to the cross – both in the light of the Lucan context and our/modern present context. A careful examination of the text in Luke 22:14-30 poses a challenge to Lucan scholarship as it delves into the reason of the insertion of the phrase in the context of this meal. In the first place, different views as regards the meal are examined so as to present the motif of the meal. It has been discovered that Luke wanted his community to use this meal as a medium of remembering what Jesus was to humanity during his time on earth.Socio-rhetorical analysis helps to appreciate Luke's rhetorical nuances in presenting this meal scene to his audience. In Chapter two it is revealed that Luke used his sources rhetorically in different textures and patterns to present to his audience that Jesus was the Saviour and a servant-leader. The intertexture of Luke's material of the meal shows that Luke appealed to his community using Ancient Near Eastern, Greco-Roman socio-cultural rhetoric in order to reiterate what his audience needed to know about Jesus. It reveals Jesus as a broker, patron, and benefactor to his community with the aim of restoring the dignity of humanity. The sacred texture of the Lucan meal shows the ever abiding presence of Jesus in the midst of the community whenever they meet due to the divine power of Jesus.Socio-rhetorical hermeneutics of Luke 22:14-30 explicates that the phrase 'Do this in remembrance of Me in the context is Luke's rhetorical strategy of encouraging his audience to remember Jesus with the view to imitate his lifestyle and his inclusive approach to the marginalised and the outcasts of society. It is when the community eats the meal concomitantly with the imitation of his lifestyle, especially his approach to God and humanity, that the community will truly remember Jesus and thus restore human dignity in society.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University