Folia Theologica 6. (1995)

János Székely: Mary and Martha how to receive the divine guest?

FOLIA THEOLOGICA 6 (1995)

161

SZÉKELY János

MARY AND MARTHA HOW TO RECEIVE THE DIVINE GUEST?

The real Sitz im Leben of a text is its context1 2. The aim of the present study is to examine the textual and conceptual context of the Mary and Martha pericope in the Lukan work to discover its riches.

The text (presented in form of contrast)

10,38/ Than, in their going, he entered a certain village, and a certain

woman by name Martha recieved hi 40/ Martha however was being distracted by many services, and standing over3 said:

41/But the Lord answered: Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled by many,

40b/ Lord, it doesn’t bother you, that my sister has left me alone to

serve?

39/ and there was a sister of her, called Mariam, who sitting down to the feet of the Lord, was hearig his word.

42/ one is however necessery.

Mariam indeed has choosen the good4 part,

Tell her then, that she should help which will not be taken away

to me5, from her.

1 G. SELLIN, Lukas als Gleichniserzähler: Die Erzählung vom barmherziger Samariter, in ZNW (1974) p. 171.

2 Some very good witnesses add here: 'in the house'. The text critical solution is very difficoult. External evidence is balanced. However it seems to be more probable that copists seeing the somehow lacking frase — she recieved him — added a few words for precision, than the countrary. On the other side, there seems to be no reason to leave up these words. Moreover Luke himself can use the verb tmoôexopou. without any further addition of place (cf. Lk 19,6).

3 Or: came upon.

4 In Semitic languages, where there are no comparative or superlative forms of the adjectives, a simple adjective can signify these senses also. I haven't choosen however the translation 'better' or 'best', because it seems, that Luke doesn't make a comparison here (Martha's part is good, but Mary's is better). Rather he declares the absolute value and necessity of hearing the word of the Lord, in front of which there can be no rival activities.

5 More exactly: cooperate with me.