Puzzling the Parables of Jesus

Ruben Zimmermann moves beyond the agenda of asking what Jesus himself said and meant in his parables to explore the dynamics of parabolic speech. Introductory chapters address the history of research and distinguish historical from literary and reader-oriented approaches, then sets out a postmodern hermeneutic that analyzes narrative elements and context, maps the sociohistorical background, explores stock metaphors and symbols, and opens up contemporary horizons of interpretation. Subsequent chapters then focus on one parable from early Christian sources, including the canonical Gospels, Q, and Thomas.