This book makes accessible for the first time in English the approach to interpreting the parables of David Flusser, a leading Jewish Israeli NT scholar, whose major work is Die rabbinische Gleichnisse und der Gleichniserzähler Jesu. Young’s studies under Flusser at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem convinced him of such unfashionable views as (1) Jesus’ parables are extremely comparable to those of the rabbis and not nearly as dissimilar as usually alleged; (2) the picture of the kingdom depicted in the parables of Jesus is almost exclusively one of realized eschatology; (3) both groups of parables owe their origin to wisdom material; (4) the priority of Luke is the best solution to the synoptic problem. (1) is an extremely crucial corrective; (2) is overstated but helpful in light of a prevailing trend to overemphasize futurist eschatology; (3) is possible but not demonstrable; and (4) is almost certainly wrong.

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