Acta Theologica
2009:1
R. Zimmermann
How to Understand the Parables of Jesus. A Paradigm Shift in Parable Exegesis Abstract For many years, the exegesis of the parables of Jesus was determined by assump tions that were largely purported by Adolf Jülicher and subsequently underwent only insignificant modification. The Kompendium der Gleichnisse Jesu (ed. R. Zimmermann, Gütersloh 2007), whose methodology and hermeneutics are explained in this article, takes a new route, as can be illustrated in four steps. From a historical perspective, parable exegesis is released from its close relationship to the search for the Historical Jesus and is given new distinction by a paradigm of Jesus “remembered”. The custom ary religious-historical standardization of the parables (particularly with reference to rabbinical parables) is critically investigated from a traditio-historical perspective in order to again be able to highly value the extraordinary position of Jesus’ parables. From the perspective of the literary form of the parables, all internal differentiation must be made invalid by the New Testament text record itself. Instead, the discussion of a comprehen sive genre of “parable” utilises the genre consciousness of the early Christian authors; a genre that can be precisely defined by means of a literary-critical description in terms of the criteria of narrativity, fictionality, relation to reality, metaphor, appeal structure and co-/contextuality. From a hermeneutic perspective, this new approach consists of a conscious affirmation of a plurality of interpretations that is established by the texts themselves and that also guarantees the timeliness and liveliness of the interpretations in a variety of reading situations.
1. Introduction Much has been written in the past decades about parables and parable inter pretation — not only about the oldest forms of parables and the setting of their original development but also on their linguistic structure as poetic works of art and, finally, on the means of their comprehension and their lasting importance. Through form criticism, linguistics and reader-response criticism, the theo retical basis has become ever broader and more complex. Metaphor and nar rative theories as well as speech act and communication theories have, with great scholarship, brought to the fore important findings for parable exegesis. Prof. Ruben Zimmermann, New Testament, University of Mainz; and Feodor Lynen Stipendiate and Research Assosiate, Department of New Testament, University of Pretoria.