The power of parable [eBook - NC Digital Library] : How Fiction by Jesus Became Fiction about Jesus

"One of the main ways Jesus taught people was through the use of parables. Through an exploration of the literary genre popular in the ancient world, distinguished Jesus scholar John Dominic Crossan dissects the versions we read in the Gospels to get back to what Jesus really intended to teach. Next, Crossan reveals how Jesus's use of parables inspired the Gospel writers themselves to come up with meaningful, metaphorical stories of Jesus to help them explain their own views of who they thought this Messiah really was. By unlocking the meaning and purposes of the Gospel's parables, we can arrive at a better portrait of this enigmatic and charismatic Jewish figure who transformed his world and the next two thousand years of history"--;Parables told by Jesus. Riddle parables : so that they may not understand -- Example parables : go and do, or don't do, likewise -- Challenge parables, part I : down from Jerusalem to Jericho -- Challenge parables, part II : the word against the word -- Challenge parables, part III : let anyone with ears to hear listen! -- The kingdom of God : the challenge of collaboration -- The lure of parabolic history : Caesar at the Rubicon -- Parables told about Jesus. A hymn for the nameless : the Parable Gospel according to Mark -- Rhetorical violence : the Parable Gospel according to Matthew -- Rome as the new Jerusalem : the Parable Gospel according to Luke-Acts -- The visionary dream of God : the Parable Gospel according to John. In 1969, I was teaching at two seminaries inthe Chicago area. One of my courses wason the parables by Jesus and the other wason the resurrection stories about Jesus. I hadobserved that the parabolic stories by Jesusseemed remarkably similar to the resurrectionstories about Jesus. Were the latter intended asparables just as much as the former? Had webeen reading parable, presuming history, andmisunderstanding both? —from The Power of Parable So begins the quest of renowned Jesus scholarJohn Dominic Crossan as he unlocks the truemeanings and purposes of parable in the Bible sothat modern Christians can respond genuinely toJesus's call to fully participate in the kingdom ofGod. In The Power of Parable, Crossan examinesJesus's parables and identifies what he calls the"challenge parable" as Jesus's chosen teaching toolfor gently urging his followers to probe, question,and debate the ideological absolutes of religiousfaith and the presuppositions of social, political,and economic traditions. Moving from parables by Jesus to parables aboutJesus, Crossan then presents the four gospels as"megaparables." By revealing how the gospels arenot reflections of the actual biography of Jesus butrather (mis)interpretations by the gospel writersthemselves, Crossan reaffirms the power of parablesto challenge and enable us to co-create withGod a world of justice, love, and peace. In 1969, I was teaching at two seminaries inthe Chicago area. One of my courses wason the parables by Jesus and the other wason the resurrection stories about Jesus. I hadobserved that the parabolic stories by Jesusseemed remarkably similar to the resurrectionstories about Jesus. Were the latter intended asparables just as much as the former' Had webeen reading parable, presuming history, andmisunderstanding both''from The Power of Parable So begins the quest of renowned Jesus scholarJohn Dominic Crossan as he unlocks the truemeanings and purposes of parable in the Bible sothat modern Christians can respond genuinely toJesus's call to fully participate in the kingdom ofGod. In The Power of Parable, Crossan examinesJesus's parables and identifies what he calls the"challenge parable" as Jesus's chosen teaching toolfor gently urging his followers to probe, question, and debate the ideological absolutes of religiousfaith and the presuppositions of social, political, and economic traditions. Moving from parables by Jesus to parables aboutJesus, Crossan then presents the four gospels as"megaparables." By revealing how the gospels arenot reflections of the actual biography of Jesus butrather (mis)interpretations by the gospel writersthemselves, Crossan reaffirms the power of parablesto challenge and enable us to co-create withGod a world of justice, love, and peace "One of the main ways Jesus taught people was through the use of parables. Through an exploration of the literary genre popular in the ancient world, distinguished Jesus scholar John Dominic Crossan dissects the versions we read in the Gospels to get back to what Jesus really intended to teach. Next, Crossan reveals how Jesus's use of parables inspired the Gospel writers themselves to come up with meaningful, metaphorical stories of Jesus to help them explain their own views of who they thought this Messiah really was. By unlocking the meaning and purposes of the Gospel's parables, we can arrive at a better portrait of this enigmatic and charismatic Jewish figure who transformed his world and the next two thousand years of history"-- Provided by publisher The worlds foremost Jesus scholar John Dominic Crossan shows us how the parables present throughout the New Testament not only reveal what Jesus wanted to teach but also provide the key for explaining how the Gospels writers sought to explain the Prophet of Nazareth to the world. In this meaningful exploration of the metaphorical stories told by Jesus and the Gospel writers, Crossan combines the biblical expertise of his The Greatest Prayer with a historical and social analysis that harkens closely to his A Revolutionary Biography , creating an illuminating and nuanced exploration of the Scripture that fans of Marcus Borg and Bart Ehrman will find fascinating and essential.