The Study of Parables: Analysis of Biblical Teachings PDF

**THE STUDY OF PARABLES:** **They Don't Preach it Like This Anymore** **THE PARABLE OF GOOD SAMARITAN** 1\. A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho; **Adam** himself is meant**; Jerusalem is the heavenly city of peace, from who blessedness Adam fell*; Jericho means the moon, and signifi...

**THE STUDY OF PARABLES:** **They Don't Preach it Like This Anymore** **THE PARABLE OF GOOD SAMARITAN** 1\. A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho; **Adam** himself is meant**; Jerusalem is the heavenly city of peace, from who blessedness Adam fell*; Jericho means the moon, and signifies our mortality, because it is born, waxes, wanes, and dies.*** **Thieves** are the **devil** and his angels. 2\. Who **stripped him**, namely, of **his immortality**; and **beat him**, by **persuading him to sin**; and **left him half-dead**, because in so far as man can understand and know God, he lives, but in so far as ***he is wasted and oppressed by sin***, he is **dead**; he is therefore **called half-dead**. 3\. The **priest** and **Levite** **who saw him and passed by**, **signify the priesthood and ministry of the Old Testament**, which **could profit nothing for salvation**. **Samaritan means** **Guardian**, and therefore the **Lord Himself is signified by this name**. The **binding of wounds** is the **restraint of sin**. **Oil** is the **comfort of good hope**; **wine** the **exhortation to work with fervent spirit.** 4\. The **beast is the flesh** in **which He designed to come to us**. The ***being set upon the beast is belief in the incarnation of Christ***. The **inn is the Church** **where travelers returning to their heavenly country are refreshed after pilgrimage**. The **morrow is after the resurrection of the Lord**. The **two pence** are either **the two precepts of love**, or **the promise of this life and that which is to come**. 5\. The **innkeeper is the Apostle \[Paul\],** the **supererogatory \[extra\] payment** is either **his counsel of celibacy**, or **the fact that he worked with his own hands** lest he should be a burden to any of the weaker brethren when the Gospel was new, though it was lawful for him **"to live by the Gospel."** **WHO WAS AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO?** ♦ **One of the most influential Christian theologians**. ♦ **Shaped many doctrines** that are **key to Western Christianity** and **philosophy**. **EARLY LIFE** ♦ **Born:** **November 13, 354 AD**, in **Thagaste,** **Roman North Africa** (modern-day Algeria). ♦ **Family:** Son of **Patricius** (a **pagan**) and **Monica** (a **devout Christian**). ♦ **Education:** **Studied rhetoric in Carthage**. **SPIRITUAL JOURNEY** ♦ Initially followed **Manichaeism**, a **Persian dualistic religion**. ♦ **Later attracted to Neoplatonism**. ♦ **Struggled with questions of good and evil**, and the **nature of God** (**Theodicy**). **CONVERSION TO CHRISTIANITY** - **Influenced by Bishop Ambrose** and his mother **Monica**. - **Converted in a garden in Milan**, uttering the famous words **\"Tolle lege\"** **(\"Take up and read\")**. - **Baptized in 387 AD**. **KEY WORKS** - \"**Confessions\"**: **An autobiographical work detailing his faith journey.** - **\"The City of God\"**: A **defense of Christianity and a vision of history centered on God**. **THEOLOGY AND CONTRIBUTIONS** - Developed **the concept of original sin**. - Emphasized the need for divine grace in salvation. - **Contributed to Just War Theory.** **BISHOP OF HIPPO** - **Ordained a priest in 391 AD** and became Bishop of Hippo in 396 AD. - Worked on reconciling Christianity with local customs. - **Fought against heretical movements** like **Donatism**. **DEATH AND LEGACY** - **Died on August 28, 430 AD**, during the Vandal siege of Hippo. - Left a lasting impact on Christian thought, particularly in Western traditions like **Roman Catholicism and Protestantism**. **Group Discussion: Answer the following questions,** ♦ What are your initial reactions to Augustine\'s interpretation of the parable? ♦ Do you agree or disagree with his interpretation? Why or why not? ♦ Are there parts of his interpretation that resonate with your understanding of the parable? ♦ How do you think the historical and theological context influenced Augustine\'s interpretation? - **Augustine's interpretation of the parable has certain horrible fascination**. Without needing to think too closely about it, we know it is wrong and that much of what is said toward the end of **the parable is fanciful** and **too strongly influenced by Augustine's theology.** - But **there remain parts of the parable Augustine interpreted as they still are in some modern sermons**. - If the last part of his interpretation are not inappropriate, how can we know that the earlier parts are not inappropriate as well? - This question leads us to an important issue: How should parables be interpreted? **HISTORICAL DOMINANCE** From the **2nd to the 19th centuries**, **ALLEGORY** was **the primary method for interpreting parables.** ***Example:*** Augustine\'s interpretation of the Good Samaritan parable showcases allegorical interpretation: **Man = Adam** **Jericho = Mortality** ------------------------------- ------------------------------------ **Jerusalem = Heavenly city** **Thieves = Devil and his angels** **ORIGINS AND APPEAL OF ALLEGORY** ♣ **Greek Influence:** **Allegory** **was already present in Greek traditions**, where i**t softened the barbaric behaviors of their gods by giving them symbolic meanings**. ♣ **Old Testament Usage:** **Allegory was used to handle troubling aspects of the Old Testament**. ♣ **Early Church:** The early Christian church **naturally adopted allegory**, which **made difficult texts** and **minor details meaningful.** **PROBLEMS WITH ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION** **Distorts Overall Meaning** **Allegory** **often makes each detail significant** but **loses the parable\'s coherent message.** **Ignores Historical Context** **Allegory** **treats parables as timeless**, **missing their original purpose in Jesus\' ministry.** **Arbitrariness** **Allegorical interpretations** can be **arbitrary**, **lacking a consistent basis for what each element represents**. **THE SHIFT AWAY FROM ALLEGORY** ♦ **Adolf Jülicher\'s Influence** His **1888** book ***Die Gleichnisreden Jesu*** ([The Parables of Jesus]) **highlighted the flaws of allegory, ending its scholarly credibility**. ♦ **Volume 1** - Jülicher **traced the history of parable interpretation**, **exposing the inadequacies of allegory**. ♦ **Volume 2** - Jülicher\'s **own interpretations, influenced by 19th-century liberal thought**, were **less impactful**. **JÜLICHER\'S LEGACY** ♦ **Positive Impact** **Freed parables from allegory, allowing for fresh interpretations.** ♦ **Negative Impact** **His narrow definition of parables based on Aristotle\'s distinctions (simile vs. metaphor) limited understanding**. ***Simile:*** Comparison using \"like\" or \"as.\" ***Metaphor:*** Implies something is something else. ***Allegory:*** A series of extended metaphors. **PARABLE INTERPRETATION AFTER JÜLICHER** ♦ **Shift in Focus.** Scholars like **C.H. Dodd** and **Joachim Jeremias** emphasized ***the Kingdom of God*** and **the need for decision in Jesus\' parables**. ♦ **Critique of Matthew 13.** The interpretations there were **viewed as secondary and not originating with Jesus due to their multiple comparisons.** **MODERN APPROACHES** **♦ Flexibility in Definitions** \-\-- **Modern scholars** **recognize the Jewish roots of parables** and **allow for varied interpretations**. **♦ Multivalent Meanings** \-\-- **Parables can have different meanings for different audiences** and **may carry new insights for modern readers.** **♦ Listener's Response** \-\-- **Emphasizes how parables challenge listeners to accept or reject Jesus.** **♦ Historical Context** \-\-- Continues to be a **valuable approach**, though **no single methodology dominates today**. **WHAT, THEN, ARE THE PARABLES?** ♦ Parables, as used in the Gospels, **encompass a broader range of figurative expressions.** The **Greek term parabol is analogous to the Hebrew word mashal**, which **is translated as both "proverb" and "parable" in the Old Testament**. This **means there is no single English term that fully captures the nuanced use of parabol in the Gospels**. ♦ Parables include various types of **figures of speech** and **narrative forms**. They can be **metaphors**, such as *"new wine in new wineskins,"* **similes or similitudes**, like "the kingdom of heaven is like...," and stories with explicit messages, as seen in narratives like the parable of the Good Samaritan. Thus, a tentative working definition of parables would be that **they are figures of speech that can be quite elaborate, including metaphors, similes, and story-like narratives designed to convey deeper meanings and moral lessons.** **TYPES OF PARABLES** 1. **Proverbs**. These are **concise statements offering general truths or advice.** ***Example:*** **Luke 4:23 -** \"Physician, heal thyself.\" 2. **Metaphors.** These are direct comparisons **without** using "**like**" or "**as**," **described as parables but essentially metaphors**. ***Example:*** **Luke 5:36-38 -** \"New wine is put in new wineskins." 3. **Figurative Sayings.** Figurative language to **convey deeper meanings**, potentially **classified as figurative sayings.** ***Example:*** **Mark 7:14-17 -** Jesus' saying about cleanliness. 4. **Similes/Similitudes.** These **use** "**like**" or "**as**" for **explicit comparisons to illustrate a point**. ***Example:*** **Mark 4:30-32 -** \"To what shall we compare the kingdom of heaven?\" **Matthew 13:33 - \"**The kingdom of heaven is like..." 5. **Story Parables.** These are narratives that **present a moral or lesson through a story**, either **explicitly** or **implicitly**. ***Example:*** **Luke 14:16-24 -** Parable of the great banquet. **Luke 10:30-37 -** Parable of the Good Samaritan. 6. **Allegories.** **Contain multiple points of comparison**, offering a **more detailed interpretation of the parable's elements.** ***Example***: **Matthew 13:1-8 -** Parable of the sower with an interpretation. **PRINCIPLES OF PARABLE INTERPRETATION** 1. **Be Sensitive to the Type of Parable** **Understand whether the parable is a story, simile, or allegory**. Interpret accordingly without imposing a specific method on all types. 2. **Look for the Central Point of Comparison** **For similitudes and metaphors**, identify the primary point of comparison **rather than trying to find meaning in every detail.** 3. **Overall Coherence** **Ensure that interpretations align with the parable's overall message**. Avoid interpretations that disrupt the story's coherence. 4. **Consider Biblical, Historical, and Social Context** **Understand the parable's original setting and context,** including historical customs and societal norms. 5. **Avoid Importing Unwarranted Interpretations** **Do not add meanings not present in the text.** Stay true to the parable's inherent message.