The Earthly Jesus in the Synoptic Parables

Abstract

Almost all utterances which the synoptic tradition attributes to Jesus of Nazareth must be assigned to one and the same Jewish genre: the mashal. In the modern exposition, one can find it worthwhile to divide the synoptic sayings of Jesus into logia and parables. The dominical sayings in the synoptic tradition are all meshalim, apart from a few occasional statements (Let us go across to the other side Mark 4:35) and rejoinders. This chapter discusses one of differences of content between the aphoristic meshalim and the narrative ones. One of the two main types of synoptic meshalim, the logia, includes a long series of statements in which Jesus speaks of himself and his ministry. Jesus' narrative meshalim do not fulfil the function of proclaiming, declaring or defining. With regard to the earthly ministry of Jesus, there are a couple of formulations touching upon it in the Lukan parable material. Keywords: aphoristic meshalim; earthly Jesus; Lukan parables; narrative meshalim; synoptic tradition