Abstract
This thesis by article attempts to answer the following main research question: Is it
possible to make a strong case that the isolated harvest logion in Q 10:2 (i.e., Matthew
9:37-38 // Luke 10:2) should be interpreted literally instead of metaphorically? The
International Q Project provides the following reconstruction and translation of Q 10:2:
..λεγε… τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ· ὁ μὲν θερισμὸς πολύς, οἱ δὲ ἐργάται ὀλίγοι·
δεήθητε οὖν τοῦ κυρίου τοῦ θερισμοῦ ὅπως ἐκβάλῃ ἐργάτας εἰς τὸν θερισμὸν
αὐτοῦ.
He said to his disciples: The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So
ask the Lord of the harvest to dispatch workers into his harvest.
Six articles contribute to the overarching argumentation. The first article illuminates
this logion by considering its setting in first-century Palestine, focusing on ancient
agriculture and harvesting practices. The second article considers the verisimilitude of
the saying’s opening statement. In other words, the article asks whether the first
listeners would have nodded their heads in agreement at the claim that the harvest is
plentiful but the workers few. In order to answer this question, the article considers
both the logion itself and the socio-historical context of farming and harvesting in firstcentury
Palestine. The third article considers the use of the noun רַב (“chief”) in the
Tanakh, which later contributes to the candidate’s interpretation of the term “master of
the harvest” (κύριος τοῦ θερισμοῦ) in Q 10:2. The fourth article aims to discover the
potential connotative meanings of the verb ἐκβάλλω, which features in Q 10:2, within
an ancient Jewish context by investigating the Septuagint’s use of this Greek verb
when translating Hebrew verbs in the Tanakh. The fifth article draws on the findings
and information of all the previous articles to argue that the isolated harvest logion in
Q 10:2 should indeed be read literally instead of metaphorically. The sixth article
attempts to determine the message of the isolated harvest logion if interpreted literally.
The Conclusion summarises the study, responds to the main research question, and
makes suggestions for future research.