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In 1990 the book appeared that I co-authored with Leonard Swidler, Gerald Sloyan, and Lester Dean: Bursting the Bonds? A Jewish-Christian Dialogue on Jesus and Paul. (1) It was the [...]

Introduction The parables of Jesus provide fertile ground for wide-ranging reflection on missional readings of Scripture. Parables found in the Gospels are not only conducive to a missional hermeneutic, (2) [...]

I. INTRODUCTION The discovery in 1945 of the Coptic Gospel of Thomas among the codices found at Nag Hammadi ignited a controversy about Thomas's relation to the Synoptic Gospels that [...]

The parable of the unjust steward is widely considered the most puzzling of Jesus' teachings. Although a seemingly endless string of interpretations continues to appear in print, no single reading [...]

Jesus proclaimed the good news of God by frequently using figurative forms of speech, which the Synoptic Gospels call "parable" (Gk. parabole). Matthew, following Mark, suggests that Jesus taught only [...]

The parable of the widow and the judge (Luke 18.2-5) is frequently considered so weak that it requires its commentaries for any meaningful message, while the idea of a judge finally giving in to a pestering widow is hardly profound. The widow's frequent visits together with her brief and abrupt command to the judge combine to convey the image for a feisty widow rather than the conventionally meek and subservient role assumed for her.

Abstract This essay explores one of Jesus' parables, arguably his most complex: that of the dishonest steward. The emphasis here is on the charges against the steward. The facts that [...]

Jesus' parable of the two disobedient/obedient sons in Matthew exists in three versions. Two are supported by manuscripts while the third one is not as fully supported. The question arises whether the different versions affect the outcome that Jesus was after. Examining the versions within the Semitic and Rabbinical traditions of rhetoric would reveal that, whichever sequence is followed, the surprise outcome would still result.

Moral philosophers have rediscovered a role for the 'moral community', which has obvious relevance to Christian ethics. The effective moral community is one that is open to the parable, which is not simply the Good Samaritan but the story of Jesus as well. It should also recognize the dimension of shared symbols in society and initiate a dialogue where meaning is explored and may be acted upon.

The parable of the Royal Wooing in the Old English poem 'Ancrene Wisse' is usually misinterpreted because of the peculiarity of its relations with romantic tradition and the isolation of the parable from the main context of the text. An analysis of the parable shows that the role of Christ as a wooer, the active role of the anchoress to choose between Christ and the devil and her importance even after the wooing is over are contrary to other romantic literature, in which the ladies have a passive role after the wooing. The vagueness of the lady's response gives her control over the parable's action.

The nine 'servant parables' in the Gospels can be interpreted through knowledge of ancient slavery and Greco-Roman literature because the translation from Greek to 'servant' would be more accurately 'slave.' These parables have often poised problems of interpretation but literary and historical sources about slavery at that time may produce a more logical interpretation. Based on these sources, rather than attacking slavery as an institution, the parables attempt to dignify the slaves, which for the time was a radical social reform.

Advocates of a metaphorical approach to the parable of the tenants in Mark 12.9 and some who argue that Jesus spoke in realistic fiction have assumed that Mark 12.9 is an original part of parable, but an examination of Greek, Roman, Graeco-Egyptia and biblical legal rulings indicates that resorts to self-help were discouraged and criminalized. Mark 12.9 is not a realistic component of the parable but is a part of its secondary allegorization.

Van Gogh, who many believed was excessively religious, painted three paintings that gave a deep insight to his compassionate and generous side. The Good Samaritan, Pieta and The Raising gave one an understanding of the painter's own faith, experience of healing and compassion.

As a historical novelist whose subject is America and whose passion is politics, Thomas Pynchon is aware of the twentieth-century evolution of 'the imperial presidency.'(1) Vineland (1990), Pynchon's fourth novel, [...]

IT is my purpose in this essay to explore Shakespeare's use of the parable of the prodigal son in The Merchant of Venice and to analyze it in relation to [...]

A new interpretation of the parable of the Unjust Steward (Luke 16:1-8a) is presented.