The Parables of Jesus

by Luise Schottroff

In this startling work, Luise Schottroff proposes an alternative reading of Jesus' parables. Her work decries the traditional allegorizing of Jesus' stories, with their easy identification of God as one of the characters in the stories.

Genres: Christian, Religion

296 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

For centuries, Christians have read the parables primarily as allegories. Schottroff reads them, rather, as realistic stories of everyday life, marked by realities not so far from our own: economic injustice, political terror, and small victories for the ordinary people who navigate the world those horrors frame. Sometimes there is a clear application for action, as with the good Samaritan ("go ye and do likewise"). Sometimes the parables raise questions without clear answers, as with the laborers in the vineyard: What would you do, Jesus is asking, if a capricious employer made a point of giving out unfair bonuses? Always, they demand some response, because they happen in conversation between Jesus, his fellow rabbis, and the people.

I'm not against allegorical reading as such, for the parables or for any other part of Scripture. The use of Schottroff's work is in scraping away bad allegories. If we accept from the rest of Scripture that God is not a tyrant, or a boss, or even a human father, then we can get the literal meaning right, and build better allegories from there.

The academic apparatus is slightly too prominent and awkward for a general audience, but Schottroff's points are striking and thought-provoking. I'd love to see this turned into a devotional.

[Olga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Schottroff has a very interesting take on the parables. Although I disagreed with her on many points it was a thought-provoking read.

[Bill]

2.9 Martinie glasses.