A megrökönyödés példázatai
The Parables of Consternation

Summary/Abstract: The article examines some of Jesus’ parables from the point of view of reader-response criticism. this includes parables that challenge the listener’s moral sense and provoke the listener to rethink what they heard. Typically, these are incomplete stories and are called parables of consternation. Eight parables are discussed, grouped into four pairs: the talents / minas, ten virgins / wedding garment, unjust steward / unjust judge, mustard seed / leaven. The article proposes that crucial elements of these parables do not match the listener’s expectations. The elements that disturb the listener and cause confusion include: charging interest in the case of talents and minas, the exclusion resulting from heartlessness in that of the ten virgins and the wedding garment, fraud and injustice in the unjust steward and the unjust judge, as well the worthless things (mustard seed and leaven) that are used to picture holy things. The provocative nature of these parables forces the listener to rethink, reinterpret and complete the stories for themselves. The article draws the conclusion that Jesus’ parables, especially the parables of consternation, keep alive the challenging but still joyful message of Jesus of Nazareth.

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