The Parable of the Wicked Tenants: An Inquiry into Parable Interpretation
Overview
Despite its importance, the parable of the wicked tenants has been an enigma to modern interpretation. The approaches to the parable have been quite varied. Some interpreters place this parable at the apex of the ministry of Jesus, while others assign little importance to it or virtually ignore it. In some cases the conclusions drawn have been unsatisfactory either because of presuppositions that are too rigid or that have been shown to be erroneous by recent developments. Any discussion of the parable is necessarily a complex one in that it involves the relation of the three Synoptic accounts, an assessment of the account in the Gospel of Thomas, the religious and economic background in Palestine, the self-designation of Jesus, and the theological shaping of the parable by the tradition and by evangelists. Because of the importance of this parable as a possible key to understanding the ministry of Jesus, particularly since its relevance has often been minimized, this parable deserves closer analysis.
- Surveys various interpretations of the parable of the wicked tenants
- Discusses the relationship between parables and allegory
- Provides an in-depth study of the language, context, and message of the parable
- Attempts to Interpret the Parable
- What Method Should be Used?
- The Cultural Setting of the Parable
- An Analysis of the Parable and its Development
- The Origin and Meaning of the Parable
- Title: The Parable of the Wicked Tenants: An Inquiry into Parable Interpretation
- Author: Klyne Snodgrass
- Publisher: Wipf & Stock
- Publication Date: 2011
- Pages: 150
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Topic: Parables
Sample Pages from the Print Edition
Reviews
1 rating
Tim Kuhn
6/14/2023
This falls somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. 4 stars for the quality of material. It turns out the book isn’t exactly what I was thinking. It’s more about the debates of how to interpret the parable and all the opinions that are out there about when it was written and by who. If you like that kind of technical debate, this is well done. By the time I got to the end and the conclusion, it’s the same interpretation I have always known. Would I recommend it? Probably not, unless you really like textual criticism.
