“Good and Faithful Slave”

Abstract

The parable of the talents in Matt 25:14–30 has been often interpreted using either the lens of social identity or virtue ethics, respectively. However, a careful integrative analysis indicates the intrinsic interrelation of social identity and virtue in four aspects. Through such an integration of social identity and the notions of virtue and the good life, Matthew redefines social identity for the Matthean in-group from a social status to a virtue status, from the quantity of one’s giftings to the quality of one’s character, and from a mere sense of belonging to a pursuit of human flourishing through virtue.