Hedrick argues for what he characterizes as a poetic and fictional approach to interpretation of the parables. Rejecting views of the parables that try to place them solely within the ancient world, draw parallels with modern life in the Near East, interpret them within their Synoptic Gospel contexts, or limit them to their significance regarding the kingdom of God, etc., Hedrick attempts to develop a poetics of the parables as ‘first-century narrative fiction’. The book is divided into two major sections. The first is both a survey and critique of previous efforts at parable interpretation and an argument for Hedrick’s position. The second is analysis of a number of parables from this perspective, although it must be said that there is an awful lot of attention to background material and not much startlingly new in these interpretations.

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