What do you think?
Parables of the Kingdom
An eminent Biblical scholar discusses the nature, purpose,and setting of the parables and traces their place in Christian teaching.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1935
About the author
C.H. Dodd
54 books15 followersCharles Harold Dodd was a Welsh New Testament scholar and influential Protestant theologian. He is known for promoting "realized eschatology", the belief that Jesus' references to the kingdom of God meant a present reality rather than a future apocalypse.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 4, 2013
In an effort to aid my comprehension of Dodd’s book, I journaled my thoughts and reactions as I read. The results are interesting in that my understanding of his premise changed while reading the last few pages, the section he titles “Conclusions.”
From the beginning, reading The Parables of the Kingdom required concerted effort. Nonetheless, by re-reading some sentences and exercising all my powers of concentration, I felt I was able to follow the logic of Dodd’s assertions. I perceived, in the first two chapters, that Dodd was essentially explaining, using particular parables from the Gospels, the concept that I have commonly come to know as the “already-not-yet-Kingdom,” the idea that, in the person of Christ, God revealed the ultimate purpose of his relationship with humanity, to relinquish His or Her power and thus demonstrate the reality of divine love and thus “draw all men” to him. While this reality is established in the incarnation of Jesus, his death and resurrection, the reality of the Kingdom of God is not yet fully realized but will be culminated, or consummated, with the second advent of Christ.
What is refreshing to me about Dodd’s Parables of the Kingdom is his starting point, which does not presume that we have definitive answers to the meanings of the sayings of Jesus. Much of my life has been spent learning and recognizing that the way I was taught Scripture—that “this equals this,” end of story, no questions, no other possible interpretations—is [malarkey]. This unfortunate situation is caused, the way I see it, by a simplified and inflexible understanding of “divine inspiration” and an over-assigning of the term “absolute truth.” Indeed, there are many questions, unending ones.
Informing all of Dodd’s logic is an understanding not only of the fact that the Scriptures as we know them were canonized by church leaders in the fourth century (on second look, it appears this occurred throughout the second and third centuries, more gradually and less formally than I had thought) but also that the gospels themselves were written by men who were doing their best to relay the teachings of Jesus and the meaning of his life as well as they could understand it in their time. In other words, they were perhaps as much journalists as they were historians. But as far as that contrast is concerned, there may be little difference: both record the facts as they see them, which may not be as others see them, and in either case, an agenda informs the record.
But all that only to say that Dodd recognizes the quality of the “directors” behind the Gospels. And this allows him to ask questions and analyze to a depth that the Christian leaders of my youth would avoid out of either fear or ignorance.
In the interest of avoiding an even lengthier review, I’ll confess that while these nuances are important to me they are not essential to the thrust of Dodd’s purpose. The way I understand it, Dodd consistently seeks to interpret the parables Jesus told through a particular lens, which I think is only possible given the freedom from dogmatic interpretations I have described. Much as the discussions concerning the “historical Jesus” have been concerned, Dodd’s perspective depends on returning to an understanding of the historical setting of Jesus’s time. His interpretations regarding the parables all conclude that Jesus was speaking particularly of the time in which he was living. Thus, the thrust of his message was that the Kingdom of God had arrived, was realized, was a reality which each individual must answer to, and each individual's response to this message determines whether the hearer is “chaff” or a “wicked servant,” a “prodigal son” or a “seed in good ground” (quotes loosely applied).
Ultimately, as I read Dodd’s “Conclusions,” I realized that Dodd is not espousing an “already-not-yet-Kingdom” but only an “already-Kingdom.” God’s work has been done. The response to God’s work is what remains and is the reality of each and every day for those of us living our lives now. The parables of Jesus are not about some event in the uncertain future, an evolution of a kingdom or a second advent of Christ (not excluding this, however) but about the reality of life here and now. And with such an understanding, I realize that, according to my journal entries, this is a book that “certainly has the potential to change my daily perspective and my life. Will it?”
From the beginning, reading The Parables of the Kingdom required concerted effort. Nonetheless, by re-reading some sentences and exercising all my powers of concentration, I felt I was able to follow the logic of Dodd’s assertions. I perceived, in the first two chapters, that Dodd was essentially explaining, using particular parables from the Gospels, the concept that I have commonly come to know as the “already-not-yet-Kingdom,” the idea that, in the person of Christ, God revealed the ultimate purpose of his relationship with humanity, to relinquish His or Her power and thus demonstrate the reality of divine love and thus “draw all men” to him. While this reality is established in the incarnation of Jesus, his death and resurrection, the reality of the Kingdom of God is not yet fully realized but will be culminated, or consummated, with the second advent of Christ.
What is refreshing to me about Dodd’s Parables of the Kingdom is his starting point, which does not presume that we have definitive answers to the meanings of the sayings of Jesus. Much of my life has been spent learning and recognizing that the way I was taught Scripture—that “this equals this,” end of story, no questions, no other possible interpretations—is [malarkey]. This unfortunate situation is caused, the way I see it, by a simplified and inflexible understanding of “divine inspiration” and an over-assigning of the term “absolute truth.” Indeed, there are many questions, unending ones.
Informing all of Dodd’s logic is an understanding not only of the fact that the Scriptures as we know them were canonized by church leaders in the fourth century (on second look, it appears this occurred throughout the second and third centuries, more gradually and less formally than I had thought) but also that the gospels themselves were written by men who were doing their best to relay the teachings of Jesus and the meaning of his life as well as they could understand it in their time. In other words, they were perhaps as much journalists as they were historians. But as far as that contrast is concerned, there may be little difference: both record the facts as they see them, which may not be as others see them, and in either case, an agenda informs the record.
But all that only to say that Dodd recognizes the quality of the “directors” behind the Gospels. And this allows him to ask questions and analyze to a depth that the Christian leaders of my youth would avoid out of either fear or ignorance.
In the interest of avoiding an even lengthier review, I’ll confess that while these nuances are important to me they are not essential to the thrust of Dodd’s purpose. The way I understand it, Dodd consistently seeks to interpret the parables Jesus told through a particular lens, which I think is only possible given the freedom from dogmatic interpretations I have described. Much as the discussions concerning the “historical Jesus” have been concerned, Dodd’s perspective depends on returning to an understanding of the historical setting of Jesus’s time. His interpretations regarding the parables all conclude that Jesus was speaking particularly of the time in which he was living. Thus, the thrust of his message was that the Kingdom of God had arrived, was realized, was a reality which each individual must answer to, and each individual's response to this message determines whether the hearer is “chaff” or a “wicked servant,” a “prodigal son” or a “seed in good ground” (quotes loosely applied).
Ultimately, as I read Dodd’s “Conclusions,” I realized that Dodd is not espousing an “already-not-yet-Kingdom” but only an “already-Kingdom.” God’s work has been done. The response to God’s work is what remains and is the reality of each and every day for those of us living our lives now. The parables of Jesus are not about some event in the uncertain future, an evolution of a kingdom or a second advent of Christ (not excluding this, however) but about the reality of life here and now. And with such an understanding, I realize that, according to my journal entries, this is a book that “certainly has the potential to change my daily perspective and my life. Will it?”
July 23, 2025
I've been a huge fan of CH Dodd but this book is a disappointment (and diminishes my fondness for Dodd). His devotion to critical methods undercuts his credibility and brilliant insights. He wastes a lot of time speaking to the critical theorists (as to whether Jesus actually said something or whether we can trust the veracity of a passage) instead of talking about what the passage actually says.
He does not take the Bible to be inerrant. He thinks some of the interpretation of parables were artificially inserted into the mouth of Jesus by those in the early church ("the early Church reinterpreted sayings and parables of Jesus to suit its changing needs."). And he is generally skeptical of supernatural foresight, including literal future-telling (including by Jesus).
All of that actually made me less convinced in Dodd's realized eschatology (I still lean toward it, but very disappointed to learn that one of its chief proponents is so liberal in his Biblical interpretation).
BUT, when he turns his attention to actually interpreting what is written and passed down to us, he is brilliant and incredibly helpful.
A bad book by Dodd is better than 90% of Christian books out there but, as with any human author, take it with a grain of salt.
The overall theme of Dodd's book on Parables: "the eschaton, the divinely ordained climax of history, is here."
"Beginning with the apostolic preaching…through the epistles of Paul and the Epistle to the Hebrews, on to the Fourth Gospel, the testimony of the Church is unanimous, that it is living in the age of fulfillment. God has acted decisively in history, and the world is a new world.
'The law and the prophets were until John…'
Can you not see that the long history of God's dealings with His people has reached its climax?
John the Baptist marks the dividing line: before him, the law and the prophets; after him, the Kingdom of God.
The old order closed with the ministry of John; the new begins with the ministry of Jesus.
The Kingdom of God, the hope of many generations, had at last come. It is not merely imminent; it is here.
The Church['s] underlying theme is always: 'The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God has come. Repent, and believe the Gospel.'"
Most of the parables are explaining how Jesus has brought the kingdom of God, now. Many were to show the Jews/the religious leaders that in their "hands the salt of…Israel had lost its savour, its light was under a bushel. They were like an unprofitable servant who hid his master's money rather than risk it in investment."
What is a parable? Dodd explains:
"At its simplest the parable is a metaphor or simile drawn from nature or common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness, and leaving the mind in sufficient doubt about its precise application to tease it into active thought.
They are the natural expression of a mind that sees truth in concrete pictures rather than conceives it in abstractions.
Instead of saying,
'Wealth is a grave hindrance to true religion,'
He says,
'lt is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.'"
"Our best guide to [the parables] will often be the Old Testament, with which they may be presumed to have been familiar. Thus the images of a vineyard, a fig-tree, harvest, a feast, and others, had associations which could escape no one brought up on the Old Testament."
He does not take the Bible to be inerrant. He thinks some of the interpretation of parables were artificially inserted into the mouth of Jesus by those in the early church ("the early Church reinterpreted sayings and parables of Jesus to suit its changing needs."). And he is generally skeptical of supernatural foresight, including literal future-telling (including by Jesus).
All of that actually made me less convinced in Dodd's realized eschatology (I still lean toward it, but very disappointed to learn that one of its chief proponents is so liberal in his Biblical interpretation).
BUT, when he turns his attention to actually interpreting what is written and passed down to us, he is brilliant and incredibly helpful.
A bad book by Dodd is better than 90% of Christian books out there but, as with any human author, take it with a grain of salt.
The overall theme of Dodd's book on Parables: "the eschaton, the divinely ordained climax of history, is here."
"Beginning with the apostolic preaching…through the epistles of Paul and the Epistle to the Hebrews, on to the Fourth Gospel, the testimony of the Church is unanimous, that it is living in the age of fulfillment. God has acted decisively in history, and the world is a new world.
'The law and the prophets were until John…'
Can you not see that the long history of God's dealings with His people has reached its climax?
John the Baptist marks the dividing line: before him, the law and the prophets; after him, the Kingdom of God.
The old order closed with the ministry of John; the new begins with the ministry of Jesus.
The Kingdom of God, the hope of many generations, had at last come. It is not merely imminent; it is here.
The Church['s] underlying theme is always: 'The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God has come. Repent, and believe the Gospel.'"
Most of the parables are explaining how Jesus has brought the kingdom of God, now. Many were to show the Jews/the religious leaders that in their "hands the salt of…Israel had lost its savour, its light was under a bushel. They were like an unprofitable servant who hid his master's money rather than risk it in investment."
What is a parable? Dodd explains:
"At its simplest the parable is a metaphor or simile drawn from nature or common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness, and leaving the mind in sufficient doubt about its precise application to tease it into active thought.
They are the natural expression of a mind that sees truth in concrete pictures rather than conceives it in abstractions.
Instead of saying,
'Wealth is a grave hindrance to true religion,'
He says,
'lt is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.'"
"Our best guide to [the parables] will often be the Old Testament, with which they may be presumed to have been familiar. Thus the images of a vineyard, a fig-tree, harvest, a feast, and others, had associations which could escape no one brought up on the Old Testament."
April 22, 2023
I'm teaching a class on parables on 07 May 2023, so I grabbed a few books of my husband's bookcase. (He owns about 100 books on biblical criticism as well as over 20 translations of the Bible.)
He has three books on parables, which I'm reading in the order in which they were published. I also just put 7 books on hold from my public library (which allows me to request books from all PL in the state of Indiana).
Dodd was born in 1884 and was a scholar of biblical criticism. His writing style is very elevated: overwrought diction, complex sentence structure, and more abstract statements than concrete ones.
Here is the last paragraph of his concluding chapter:
"We have, as it appears, no warrant in the teaching of Jesus for affirming that the long cycles of history will lead inevitably to a millennial 'Kingdom Come" on earth. But we have warrant for affirming that God comes to meet us in history, and sets before us the open but narrow door into his Kingdom. To accept His Kingdom and to enter in brings blessedness, because the best conceivable thing is that we should be in obedience to the will of God. Such blessedness may be enjoyed her and now, but it is never exhausted in any experience that falls within the bounds of time and space. Our destiny lies in the eternal order, and eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things the Lord hath prepared for them that Love Him" (169).
That was actually more concrete and lyric than the rest of his book.
The first half of his book describes the context for Jesus' parables, but not really the historical and cultural context as much as the uses of narrative structures. He contrasts the four gospels, talks about the Q source, and refers to some Old Testament traditions. The second half focuses a bit more on looking at specific parables by grouping them into "Parables of Crisis" and "Parables of Growth." However, the application again focuses a lot on teases out underlying abstract structures rather than seeking to make application to the readers of mid-20th century. (This book was published in 1961.)
I imaging this book was effective to a narrow audience of biblical scholars, but it's just too abstract, too steeped in referring to theology, biblical criticism, and narrative theory to be applicable to the lay reader. And I image theologians are following different forms of critique. God bless, Dodd. He did a good thing in his day, but time is marching on and leaving him behind in the dust.
He has three books on parables, which I'm reading in the order in which they were published. I also just put 7 books on hold from my public library (which allows me to request books from all PL in the state of Indiana).
Dodd was born in 1884 and was a scholar of biblical criticism. His writing style is very elevated: overwrought diction, complex sentence structure, and more abstract statements than concrete ones.
Here is the last paragraph of his concluding chapter:
"We have, as it appears, no warrant in the teaching of Jesus for affirming that the long cycles of history will lead inevitably to a millennial 'Kingdom Come" on earth. But we have warrant for affirming that God comes to meet us in history, and sets before us the open but narrow door into his Kingdom. To accept His Kingdom and to enter in brings blessedness, because the best conceivable thing is that we should be in obedience to the will of God. Such blessedness may be enjoyed her and now, but it is never exhausted in any experience that falls within the bounds of time and space. Our destiny lies in the eternal order, and eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things the Lord hath prepared for them that Love Him" (169).
That was actually more concrete and lyric than the rest of his book.
The first half of his book describes the context for Jesus' parables, but not really the historical and cultural context as much as the uses of narrative structures. He contrasts the four gospels, talks about the Q source, and refers to some Old Testament traditions. The second half focuses a bit more on looking at specific parables by grouping them into "Parables of Crisis" and "Parables of Growth." However, the application again focuses a lot on teases out underlying abstract structures rather than seeking to make application to the readers of mid-20th century. (This book was published in 1961.)
I imaging this book was effective to a narrow audience of biblical scholars, but it's just too abstract, too steeped in referring to theology, biblical criticism, and narrative theory to be applicable to the lay reader. And I image theologians are following different forms of critique. God bless, Dodd. He did a good thing in his day, but time is marching on and leaving him behind in the dust.
July 21, 2017
Interesting interpretation of the parables of Jesus. Dodd goes from the premise that with the advent of Jesus' ministry the Kingdom of God appeared. He then translates the parables as referring to the current situation of Jesus and rejects their apocalyptic teaching.
May 16, 2020
Rubbish. This man clearly doesn’t believe in the resurrection of Jesus or the validity of the Bible. When one starts with false principles it reasons to follow what comes after will be of the same sort.
August 18, 2010
This revised Edition is copyrighted in 1961 which I now have.
This book is based on a course of Shaffer Lectures given in the Divinity School, Yale University, in the Spring of 1955. Some the best teachings come from the early Christian writers. Jesus had a way with parable teaching to point out sin in false teachers and sinners alike to bring them to the need of baptism and to look forward to the Kingdom of God.
This can be very beneficial to the lay person who takes their walk with the Lord to a more theological sense. This was Jesus' most characteristic way in teaching and this appealed to his listener's of that time. The interpretation today is another matter as it takes understanding Greek for words that will have a more meaningful affect and this is what Professor Dodd helps us to understand.
This book is based on a course of Shaffer Lectures given in the Divinity School, Yale University, in the Spring of 1955. Some the best teachings come from the early Christian writers. Jesus had a way with parable teaching to point out sin in false teachers and sinners alike to bring them to the need of baptism and to look forward to the Kingdom of God.
This can be very beneficial to the lay person who takes their walk with the Lord to a more theological sense. This was Jesus' most characteristic way in teaching and this appealed to his listener's of that time. The interpretation today is another matter as it takes understanding Greek for words that will have a more meaningful affect and this is what Professor Dodd helps us to understand.
February 13, 2013
Controversial but good.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews