What Are They Saying About the Parables?

A wonderful addition to the unique and well-respected WATSA series is this new volume on the parables by David Gowler. His book introduces as succinctly as possible the current scholarly thinking about the parables of Jesus, which has proved to be a creative and dynamic area in New Testament studies. The topics he explores are enumerated in this Table of Contents: 1. Historical-Critical Approaches to the Parables 2. The Emergence of Literary Approaches to the Parables 3. Fully Developed Literary Approaches to the Parables 4. The Parables and Their Jewish Contexts 5. The Parables and Their Hellenistic Contexts 6. The Parables and Their Social Contexts 7. From Simile and Metaphor to Symbol and Emblematic Language Noteworthy for its brevity and thoroughness, this work will be a valuable Bible study aid for Bible students on the high school and college level, as well as for persons in Bible study groups. In addition, pastors and church professionals will want to add it to their library. †

Dr. David B. Gowler is Pierce Professor of Religion, Oxford College of Emory University; Senior Faculty Fellow at the Center for Ethics, Emory University; and Co-Editor of Emory Studies in Early Christianity. He is the author of Host, Guest, Enemy, and Friend: Portraits of the Pharisees in Luke and Acts; What Are They Saying about the Parables?: What Are They Saying about the Historical Jesus?; James through the Centuries; and The Parables after Jesus: Their Imaginative Receptions across Two Millennia. His books have been translated into French, Korean, and Japanese. He has also published dozens of articles, book chapters, and book reviews, and is the editor or coeditor of over thirty books. His blog about his most recent book can be found at: parablesreception.blogspot.com