This monograph studies the parable as a literary construct. It addresses the question why the ancients understood parables as mysterious speech. The study disputes the binary opposition of (clear) parables and (obscure) allegories. Defining allegory as an extended metaphor in narratory form, it argues that many parables are allegories. The parable is defined as narrative in form; tropical in mode of meaning; religious or ethical in genre; and rhetorical in purpose, intended to persuade. Requiring (sometimes challenging) interpretation, the parable can rightly be considered "mysterious." The monograph then discusses the parable in the context of Mark's theme of mystery.
New York Times Best Seller! 1500 5-Star Reviews! From the author that brought you NEW YORK TIMES best selling books The Harbinger, The Mystery of the Shemitah, and The Paradigm selling over 3 MILLION copies Imagine if you discovered a treasure chest in which were hidden ancient mysteries, revelations from heaven, secrets of the ages, the answers to man’s most enduring, age-old questions, and the hidden keys that can transform your life to joy, success, and blessing…This is The Book of Mysteries.
Card brings a special blend of artistic craft and scholarly research to this candid look at the text of John--including his own translation of the gospel from the original Greek text. He introduces readers to the apostle in a fresh new way and offers insight into the apostle's unique outlook on life.
We all love stories, especially mysteries. When we were young children, our parents, grandparents, or friends would read us stories. Stories and mysteries are passed down from generation to generation. This book is about a story and a mystery, and who doesn't love a good mystery?The Parable of the Sower concerns a sower (Jesus) who scatters seed (The Word), which falls on four different types of ground (the hearts of people). The wayside soil (the closed, hardened, and neglected heart) prevents the seed from sprouting at all, and the seed becomes nothing more than bird food. The stony ground (the careless heart) provides enough soil for the seeds to germinate and begin to grow, but because there is "no deepness of earth," the plants are soon withered in the sun (trials and persecution). The thorny ground (the crowded heart) allows the seed to grow, but the four competing thorns choke the life out of the young plants. The good ground receives the seed and produces much fruit. But has all of this to do with knowing the keys to the kingdom of God? It's in the book "The Parable of the Four Soils."
The Mockingbird Parables takes readers on an inspiring and engaging journey through Harper Lee’s beloved 1960 literary masterpiece, introducing each character through the lens of faith. The enigmatic Boo Radley as an allegorical representation of God, “the divine, mysterious neighbor” who watches over, protects, and longs to know his children personally. The hero, Atticus Finch, as a model of faith, integrity, and even parenting. The main character, Scout Finch, and what she might teach us about the role of women in church and society. The Mockingbird Parables compels us to ask the often-ignored questions: Do we truly love our neighbors? Are we building community? Are we influencing society for the better? By illuminating the parallels between Christian faith and Lee’s masterpiece, The Mockingbird Parables reaffirms the magnitude of a novel perhaps more relevant today than ever before.
The Tabernacle of David is the second work in Conner's Divine Habitation Trilogy. This text answers many vital questions concerning the tabernacle in the Old Testament and its significance to New Testament revelation. It presents an exciting and stimulating challenge to the believer who is hungry to learn more about the move of the Holy Spirit today.
Have you ever wondered why Jesus often spoke in parables? Are you curious about what lessons we can learn from these parables today? Pastor and bestselling author John MacArthur breaks down the parables and teaches us how we can apply these deceptively simple stories to modern Christianity. Jesus was a master storyteller, and the parables he often told were no exception. Beneath these unassuming stories were deeply profound spiritual lessons that were designed to reach all who heard them--from the faithful to the faithless--and they're still relevant today. In Parables, MacArthur argues that these short, memorable stories represented more than just symbolism or a clever teaching style--they were carefully crafted tales that made the mysteries of the Gospel more accessible to everyday believers. Parables will help you see Jesus' teachings in a brand new light, addressing some of the most common questions on the topic, including: When did Jesus start teaching in parables? What makes parables so accessible? How can we interpret these stories? What common threads link each of the parables together? What do parables teach us about the kingdom of God? MacArthur has spent a lifetime sharing the Word of God in clear and comprehensible terms with believers of all walks of life. Let him be your guide as he sheds light on the essential lessons contained in the most infamous and influential short stories the world has ever known.
Despite its importance, the parable of the wicked tenants has been an enigma to modern interpretation. The approaches to the parable have been quite varied. Some interpreters place this parable at the apex of the ministry of Jesus, while others assign little importance to it or virtually ignore it. In some cases the conclusions drawn have been unsatisfactory either because of presuppositions that are too rigid or that have been shown to be erroneous by recent developments. Any discussion of the parable is necessarily a complex one in that it involves the relation of the three Synoptic accounts, an assessment of the account in the Gospel of Thomas, the religious and economic background in Palestine, the self-designation of Jesus, and the theological shaping of the parable by the tradition and by evangelists. Because of the importance of this parable as a possible key to understanding the ministry of Jesus, particularly since its relevance has often been minimized, this parable deserves closer analysis.
Ruth Christa Mathieson’s unique reading of Matthew’s parable of the royal wedding feast (Matt 22:1–14), which concludes with the king’s demand that one of the guests be bound and cast out into the outer darkness, focuses on the means of the underdressed guest’s expulsion. Using sociorhetorical interpretation, Mathieson draws the parable into conversation with early Jewish narratives of the angel Raphael binding hands and feet (1 Enoch; Tobit) and the protocol for expelling individuals from the community in Matt 18. She asserts that readers are invited to consider if the person who is bound and cast out is a danger to the little ones of the community of faith unless removed and restrained.
This thesis seeks to demonstrate the authenticity (as dominical teaching) of the parable of the darnel (Mt 13:24-30) and its interpretation (Mt 13:36-43). The interpretation in particular is almost universally regarded as non-dominical, notably by J Jeremias and his followers. My thesis argues that the whole of Mt 13:36-43 (and Mt 13:24-30) should be seen as dominical. The 'introduction' gives a brief survey of parabolic studies, and outlines the case against the authenticity of Mt 13:24-30,36-43. Chapter AI defends the authenticity of the parable (Mt 13:24-30). The following chapters do the same for the interpretation (Mt 13:36-43), looking at the 'Son of Man' and related teaching (chapter BI), the 'kingdom of God' (BII), 'righteousness' and 'lawlessness' (BIII), and other motifs (BIV), and finally the question of the coherence of the parable and its interpretation (BV). My approach has been negatively to demonstrate the weakness of the scholarly arguments against authenticity and positively to offer a case for authenticity via (a) a study of background, including special study of the rural Palestinian practices and of relevant Jewish theological ideas, and (b) a careful use of the criterion of multiple attestation which demonstrates that our material is linguistically and theologically coherent with other well-attested Jesus tradition. The originality of the work lies apart from anything else in the fact that a full length defence of the authenticity of Mt 13:24-30,36-43 has not been attempted before. But we have also brought to bear various insights, canvassed in other contexts, but not specifically in connexion with Mt 13:24-30,36-43, e.g. suggesting a background to the Son of Man tradition in Ezekiel and the Similitudes of Enoch, making use of the Old Testament concept of God as farmer, explaining the agricultural background to the parable and interpretation.
