jealousy pits the claims of justice against the claims of grace. Nearly all readings of this parable in Christian tradition have understood it as an allegory, wherein the owner is God and the denarius represents salvation. Protestant readings, of course, highlight the contrast between justice and grace. Those laborers who call for justice are understood as being either Jews who hold to the justice of the law or Roman Christians who adhere to the power of works. In contrast to these appeals to justice,