The publication of the King James version of the Bible, translated between 1603 and 1611, coincided with an extraordinary flowering of English literature and is universally acknowledged as the greatest influence on English-language literature in history. Now, world-class literary writers introduce the book of the King James Bible in a series of beautifully designed, small-format volumes. The introducers' passionate, provocative, and personal engagements with the spirituality and the language of the text make the Bible come alive as a stunning work of literature and remind us of its overwhelming contemporary relevance.

Do you not understand this parable? is a question Jesus posed to his disciples (Mark 4:13). Just as the first disciples often did not understand Jesus ' many parables, so it is for listeners and readers nearly two thousand years later. In Parables of the Kingdom, Mary Ann Getty-Sullivan helps readers to hear and see and understand the parables of Jesus. She offers a general introduction to the use of parables in the life and ministry of Jesus and the early church. In addition, Getty-Sullivan helps readers learn to interpret parables, to enter into what the parables can reveal about Jesus and his audience, about the evangelists and their communities, and about how we are to understand the Kingdom of God today. Parables of the Kingdom helps us hear and see Jesus ' parables with new eyes and renewed hearts 'thereby allowing the parables to transform our lives and help us respond with new conviction to the gospel's power in our world. Mary Ann Getty-Sullivan holds an S.T.D. from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. She has been teaching New Testament courses in colleges and seminaries for more than thirty years and has recently retired from teaching full time to devote more time to writing and lecturing. Mary Ann has written several commentaries on the Letters of Saint Paul. Her recent books include Women in the New Testament published by Liturgical Press.

Parables make up one-third of Jesus' speech in the New Testament. In this volume, Richard Lischer provides an expert guide to these parables and proposes an important distinction between reading and interpreting the parables. Emphasizing the importance of reading the parables versus interpreting them, Lischer asserts that reading offers a kind of breathing space to explore historical, literary, theological, and socio-political dimensions of the parables and their various meanings, whereas interpreting implies an expert and critical position that must be defended. In this volume, Lischer lays out four theories for reading parables: 1) parables obscure truth; 2) parables teach many truths; 3) parables teach one truth; and 4) parables undermine the truth. Ultimately, he concludes that biblical parables undermine dominant myths called "the truth" to shine light on the Truth that is Jesus, God's presence with us.

A lively, readable and up-to-date guide to the Synoptic Problem, ideal for undergraduate students, and the general reader.

Young focuses on the historical development and theological significance of parables in the Jewish and Christian traditions, examining parallels between the rabbinic and Gospel parables.

A clear introduction to the parables of Jesus, including and examination of their settings, interpretations, and implications for the Christian life.

William Wrede was among the first to recognise the creative contribution of the Gospel writers. His work thus laid the foundation for the work of the Form Critics, Redaction Critics and Literary Critics whose scholarship dominated New Testament studies during the twentieth century. This highly influential work was throughout this period the departure point for all studies in the Gospel of Mark and in the literary methods of the evangelists. It remains highly relevant for its ground-breaking approach to the classically complicated question of whether Jesus saw himself and represented himself as the Messiah.