THE GOOD SAMARITAN’S PARABLE IN LUKE 10: 30-37 AND ITS RELATIVITY TO THE CHARACTERISATION OF THE YORÙBÁ EPISTEME OF ỌMỌLÚÀBÍ

Abstract

The Good Samaritan’s Parable (TGSP), in Luke’s Gospel, was Jesus’ wordcraft to a Jewish lawyer who deliberately tested Him on the conditions required to inherit eternal kingdom and to be a true neighbour. Existing studies on TGSP were interpreted from the perspectives of allegory, religious reforms, pedagogical instructions, deontological construct with little attention paid to its contextual interpretation of neighbourhood character and relativity to Yorùbá context. This Study was, therefore, designed to interrogate TGSP in Luke 10: 30-37, with a view to establishing its relative significance to the Yorùbá Episteme of Ọmọlúàbí. Samuel Abogunrin’s Decolonisation of Biblical Interpretation was adopted as the framework, while the mixed methods design was utilised. Raph Martin’s grammaticohistorical approach to biblical exegesis was utilised. Three communities (Ifẹ, Oyọ and Ìbàdàn) in Yorùbáland were purposively selected based on their familiarity with Yorùbá pedigree. Three hundred Christian Yorùbá Respondents (men and women, 100 in each community), were conveniently selected. A copy of the TGSP Questionnaire each (r=0.81) was administered to the Respondents. Key informant interviews were conducted with 18 Yorùbá Respondents owing to their knowledge of TGSP. While qualitative data were subjected to exegetical analysis, quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics. The Good Samaritan’s parable portrays πλησίον (neighbourhood character) and ἐπιείκεια (justice), which oscillate around the notion of ἔλεος (mercy) that encompasses Έσπλαγχνίζηστης (compassion), and ἐπιμέλενη (hospitality). Έσπλαγχνίζηστης (Luke 10:33) is represented by being merciful and compassionate, gauging God’s own compassion towards human beings. These virtues are the decisive motive behind the Samaritan’s compassionate behaviour towards the victim. Most Respondents (99.2%) perceived that Έσπλαγχνίζηστης is related to àánú (compassion), a fundamental moral and psychological attribute, which distinguishes an Ọmọlúàbí from a worthless person. Ἐπιμέλενη (Luke 10:34) is characterised by involving forethought in a continuous moral and monetary support. This attribute is significant in the Samaritan’s hospitality towards the wounded man. Ἐπιμέλενη which refers to ìsoore (benevolence), signifies a caregiver character in continuous moral and material support towards a helpless neighbour as represented by 99.2%. Ἐπιείκεια informs how the Samaritan’s actions not only override and correct legalistic religious laws that controlled the Priest and the Levite, but fulfils the double commandment of love (Jeremiah 31:33). Majority of the Respondents (94.4%) agreed that ἐπιείκεια was relatable to ὶjὶnlẹ̀ ìfé (genuine love), centring around interpersonal interest benevolence regardless of ethnic affiliation. As Luke 10:30-37 identifies πλησίον and ἐπιείκεια as the embodiment of good neighbourhood character so ìwà (character), expressed in compassion, care, and mercy, is recited in Ifá corpus as the queen of all virtues. Ἐπιείκεια is a virtue that agrees with the summary of the law (Mark 12:29-31), meanwhile, 96% Respondents affirmed that Ọmọlúàbí is a quintessential virtue among the Yorùbá under the guardianship of elders and prescribed taboos. Πλησίον and ἐπιείκεια are deployed in The Good Samaritan’s Parable in explicating how good neighbourhood character is a threshold to enter eternal kingdom irrespective of ethnic group (Luke 10: 30-37). Ìwà in the Yorùbá Episteme of Ọmọlúàbí is a cultural requirement that facilitates warmth among the Yorùbá (Ogbè Alárá)