The Power of Parables: Essays on the Comparative Study of Jewish and Christian Parables: 39 (Jewish and Christian Perspectives)

The Power of Parables documents the surprising ways in which Jewish and Christian parables bridge religion with daily life. This 2019 conference volume rediscovers the original power of parables to shock and affect their audience, which has since been reduced by centuries of preaching and repetition. Not only do parables enhance the perspective on Scripture or the kingdom of heaven, they also change the sensory regime of the audience in perceiving the outer world. The theological differences in their applications appear secondary in view of their powerful rhetoric and suggest a shared genre.

Eric Ottenheijm is Associate Professor of Jewish Studies and Biblical Studies at Utrecht University. Ottenheijm is president of the Compendia Foundation (CRINT Series, Brill), and member of the Editorial Board of Jewish and Christian Perspectives (Brill). His research focusses on rabbinic and Synoptic parables and the Jewish context of the Gospel of Matthew.

Marcel Poorthuis is Emeritus Professor in Interreligious Dialogue at Tilburg University. His dissertation (1992, Utrecht) dealt with the French-Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas. He published about Catholicism, Judaism, Buddhism, and philosophy. He is co-editor of the international series Jewish and Christian Perspectives (Brill). His latest book publication is Rituals in interreligious dialogue: bridge or barrier? (Cambridge Scholars 2020).

Annette Merz is Professor of New Testament at the Protestant Theological University in Amsterdam and Groningen. Her dissertation (2001, Heidelberg) dealt with the Pastoral Epistles in the New Testament. She has published monographs and articles on the Historical Jesus and the Synoptic tradition on miracles and parables and on the later Pauline tradition, especially on the Pastoral Epistles and the Acts of Paul. Another focus is the reception history of New Testament texts regarding gender and slavery.