Now, what was that all about? So someone asked after I was trying to say something profound about parables. Er...what I was trying to say was that parables are best left a little open ended. A parable, like the 'good Samaritan', says something about the way we experience the reign of God and how we respond to it. Indeed, that parable finishes with a call to be like the 'good Samaritan'.
But, I no longer hold that a parable should only have one meaning as, seemed to be, suggested in some books and articles I read in the past. A parable - left open - invites us into the story. Who am I really - the priest, the levite, the victim or the good Samaritan or even just the inn keeper?
Parables get us involved and in turn help us to see that our lives can be parabolic -earthly, incarnational stories that speak of the surprising God among us.
Chris
P.S. Don't forget connecT looks at 'the Shack' (previous post)
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5 comments:
I think you are right...and wrong..about this Chris!
Right in the sense that a parable is more like music and poetry than a short story. It is trying to seduce the hearer into more expansive horizons.
But the "one point" idea doesn't necessarily exclude this...it's rather a guard against that sort of analysis (which St Augustine seemed to go in for ands thus coloured the way parables were looked at for centuries) which takes every detail and interprets it allegorically.[Jerusalem is the city fo God, Jericho the city of the world...the road is life, the robbers are our affections etc...]in so doing the 'one point' ...Who is my nighbour? seemed to get lost
Being a good Anglican I think you can do both
Thanks, Stephen. Good to have your contribution. I think we might be saying the same thing, though I'm sure I didn't express it as clearly as I could have. The St. Augustine approach is, part of, what I'm reacting to as it tends to 'shut' down parables to fixed interpretations. My objection to the one point approach is not that it is one point but it can often presented as the only valid interpretation and can often stifle further insights.
Chris
Some interesting comments Chris & Steve. I am not sure you are saying the same thing entirely.
Surely by their nature parables invite multiple readings. It is a vessel/relatiohsip we are invited to enter into. Parables feel a very dynamic expression of lived reality. As you noted Chris...who am I in the story? Do I change over the course of the parable? Do I or other characters change over time/circumstance? The Samaritan might be just as much about “who am I to God?”, “how does God see my enemy?” so much as “who is my neighbour?”
In short I think my vote would be for an open understanding of parable- not just because it is post-modern...but having said that not disagreeing with some room for movement just to make sure it is not a post-modern stance either.
Yes well I think blogging is worthwhile
so I'll add you on the side
Thanks Sophie & Stephen.
Sophie - I love the idea of muliple readings. Each reading reveals new insights...faithful & post-modern too!
Stephen - Blogs are fun and a great way to dialogue, I think.
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