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Title: Re-Imagine the World: An Introduction to the Parables of Jesus by Bernard Brandon Scott ISBN: 0-944344-86-0 Publisher: Polebridge Press Pub. Date: 01 December, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $18.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 2 (1 review)
Rating: 2
Summary: You may say he's a dreamer...
Comment: Right off the top, it's important to know one fact about the author, because his perspective colors everything he writes about, and the colors are red, pink, gray, and black. Yes, Brandon Scott is a charter member of the Jesus Seminar, so that means that "Jesus" here is actually the reconstructed, reduced Jesus as promoted by the likes of J.D. Crossan, and, furthermore, the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas stands on equal footing with the biblical gospels we all know and love: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and, well, John isn't dealt with at all here, because there are supposedly no parables in John (umm, what about the Vine and the Branches, or the Good Shepherd?)
First the positives: the author is an expert on parables, and there are some excellent interpretations here of a few of them. What is often lost to a modern readership when dealing with the parables is the fact that they were often shocking and scandalous to their first-century audience. Therefore, while "Good Samaritan" may be part of our vernacular, the very idea was just unheard of by his Jewish listeners. The best interpretive job, or the one that resonates with me the most, is concerning the Prodigal Son(s), where the conventions of Jewish family life are ripped apart by what transpires. The father is shown as being degraded by the young son, and degrades himself in the eyes of the community when he welcomes him back. That only scratches the surface, but if there is any reason to get this book, the Prodigal Son story would be it. On other parables, there are issues raised which are often ignored by other interpreters. For example, in the story of the hidden treasure, was Jesus commending the man for his dishonesty in finding the treasure, hiding it, and then buying the field without notifying the owner of the hidden treasure? There are potentially some good discussion starters here for small groups.
Of course, the "historical Jesus" had more in mind than just telling stories. It was his way of re-imagining the world as he thought it should be, and here's where things get a little stickier. Just what was Jesus trying to communicate? Here are the main points, according to the book:
1. God is unclean. This rather shocking statement is derived from the parable of the leaven, where a woman "hides" leaven in three measures of flour (a huge amount) and the leaven works its way through the whole batch. Leaven is seen as corruption, as unclean, in other words, so to Jesus, the kingdom (or "empire") of God is full of uncleanness, therefore the rather shaky jump to "God is unclean". My question is, if leaven is considered unclean (and, frankly, it is seen in a negative light throughout Scripture), why was it just prohibited for the seven days of the Passover, and not the whole year round, as was pork and shellfish? That gives this first point a flimsy foundation.
2. God is present in absence. This means, basically, a world void a divine intervention. This is based on the Parable of the Empty Jar found in the gnostic Gospel of Thomas. The parable, like much of the Gospel of Thomas, really makes little sense, but what sense the author does make out of it (and, in my opinion, he really has to stretch to do it), is used to "prove" this point. However, those of us who believe in the healing ministry of Jesus, which implies divine intervention, would see that as totally dismantling that argument.
3. Cooperation, not competition. This is illustrated by the Parable of the Good Samaritan. This point I have no problem with, as far as it goes.
The author, finally, seems to have his own agenda here: a Christianity without Christ, which is an etymological impossibility. The argument that is made for this is so weak as to be no argument at all. So, I'll sum up this book with a parable of my own. "Re-Imagine the World" to me is like a breakfast buffet to a vegetarian, who takes what he or she can eat (fruit) and rejects the rest (bacon, sausage, and eggs).
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Title: Hear Then the Parable: A Commentary on the Parables of Jesus by Bernard Brandon Scott ISBN: 0800624815 Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishers Pub. Date: 01 January, 1991 List Price(USD): $23.00 |
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Title: In Parables: The Challenge of the Historical Jesus (Eagle Books) by John D. Crossan ISBN: 0944344224 Publisher: Polebridge Press Pub. Date: 01 July, 1985 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith by Marcus J. Borg ISBN: 0060526769 Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco Pub. Date: 23 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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Title: Parables As Subversive Speech: Jesus As Pedagogue of the Oppressed by William R., II Herzog ISBN: 0664253555 Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press Pub. Date: 01 June, 1994 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: The Dark Interval : Towards a Theology of Story by John Dominic Crossan ISBN: 0944344062 Publisher: Polebridge Press Pub. Date: 01 August, 1988 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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