Parables after Jesus: Their Imaginative Receptions Across Two Millennia

by David B. Gowler

Jesus's enigmatic and compelling parables have fascinated their hearers since he first uttered them, and during the intervening centuries these parables have produced a multitude of interpretations. This accessibly written book explores the varying interpretations of Jesus's parables across two millennia to demonstrate how powerfully they continue to challenge people's hearts, minds, and imaginations. It covers more than fifty imaginative receptions from different eras, perspectives, and media, showing how the use of Jesus's parables affects society and culture and offering a richer appreciation for Jesus's most striking teachings.

Genres: Biblical Studies

320 pages, Paperback

Published January 31, 2017

Reviews

[Levi Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fun to read the ways the parable have been interpreted up till we reached the modern era. By that point, I was bored because, as Gowler notes, we lost it as a framing part of our imagination, though it still exists in our imagination, just separated from what grounded it.

[Jo Howzitgoughin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute banger

[Robert Durough, Jr. · Rating 2 out of 5]

David B. Gowler’s The Parables after Jesus: Their Imaginative Receptions across Two Millennia is an historical survey of ways in which the parables of Jesus have been interpreted and used in writings and visual art. This is not a collection of complete examples of interpretation of specific parables; this is, rather, Gowler’s own exposition of pieces of others’ interpretations in relatively chronological order. In fact, there is no single parable used as a point of reference for the myriad of authors and interpretations, nor is there a single piece provided in its entirety. The only arguable exception to the latter is the inclusion of black and white thumbnail images of artwork in an appendix as references for those interpreted by Gowler in the larger text. It appears as though this will not change for publication (see final note below), and they are hardly helpful in their current size and quality.

This is a proper history book, not a helpful resource for understanding Jesus’ parables. If you’re looking for one person’s exposition on historical theology and secular use (or inspiration) of Jesus’ parables that reads like an academic lecture, then this may be for you. If you’re looking for original source authors’ complete examples and their own explanations, this is not the book for you. I did not find the text to be as helpful as I’d hoped, and reading one’s academic interpretation of artwork without providing the actual artwork is a bit frustrating.

The digital copy I received noted several times, “THIS IS NOT FINAL TEXT.” The title is misspelled and appendices were incomplete, but I hope I have helped the reader determine if the finished and published book may be worth reading, using, and owning.

*I received a temporary digital copy for review from Baker Academic via NetGalley.

[Cole Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting survey of interpretations. Conveys the important truth that "interpreters presuppositions and contexts often influence their interpretations just as much, if not more than, the texts of the parables themselves" (101). Two major critiques: 1. Gowler’s lengthy descriptions of artwork is overbearing. 2. The obvious praise of liberal Christianity is obnoxious, both in Golwer’s selection of interpreters and his literary tone. However, Gowler's goal to see the parables through "a diversity of media, approaches, and perspectives, not engage in current academic debate, and include responses which have been marginalized" makes his work faithful to his thesis, but some of these marginalized voices are marginalized for good reason.