Course Books

Required Texts:

• The Parables of Jesus: A Commentary by Arland J. Hultgren (Eerdmans)

and one of the following:

• What Are They Saying about the Parables? by David B. Gowler (Paulist)
• Many Things in Parables: Jesus and His Modern Critics by Charles W. Hedrick

and one of the following:

• Re-Imagine the World: An Introduction to the Parables of Jesus by Bernard Brandon Scott (Polebridge)
• The Parables of the Kingdom; The Parables of Grace; The Parables of Judgment also available as a compilation in Kingdom, Grace, Judgment: Paradox, Outrage, and Vindication in the Parables of Jesus by Robert Farrar Capon (Eerdmans)
• Speaking Parables: A Homiletic Guide by David Buttrick (Westminster John Knox)
• The Parables of Jesus by Luise Schottroff (Author); Linda M. Maloney (Translator)

and in addition,

• The New Revised Standard Version Bible with Apocrypha (recommended: HarperCollins Study Edition or Zondervan’s NRSV Student Bible or The Access Bible)
• A Greek New Testament: I highly recommend the NET Bible Nestle-Aland²⁷ Diglot. The NET Bible is also available as a free download at: http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=2579
• Other articles or selected readings may also be assigned

Secondary Bibliography:

The Parables of Jesus by Joachim Jeremias – One of the landmarks in the modern study of the parables.

In Parables: The Challenge of the Historical Jesus by John Dominic Crossan - A scholarly study but an artistic, reflective work as well.

Hear Then the Parable by Bernard Brandon Scott – An earlier and more comprehensive version of his Re-Imagine the World cited above. Introductory material is somewhat technical, but his exposition is fascinating and provocative.

Parables as Subversive Speech: Jesus as Pedagogue of the Oppressed by William R. Herzog – Brings a social-scientific awareness to the parables that heightens not only the theological but also the social and political aspects.

The Challenge of Jesus’ Parables – Collection of essays edited by Richard N. Longenecker.

Interpretation 56.3, July 2002 – Journal theme is on the parables.

Matthew's Parables : Audience-Oriented Perspectives by Warren Carter and John Paul Heil – Provides good attention to both the social and literary contexts of the parables.