LEARNING HOW TO WRITE CRITICAL ARTICLE REVIEWS

Running head:   CRITICAL ARTICLE REVIEW                                                                                                                                           

On my honor, I will abstain from all deceit. I will neither give, receive, nor use any unauthorized aid in my academic work, nor will I permit such action by any member of this community. I will respect the persons and property of the community and will not condone discourteous or dishonest treatment of these by my peers. In my every act, I will seek to maintain a high standard of honesty and truthfulness for myself and for the University.

Parables in the Gospels: History of Interpretation and Hermeneutical Guidelines’

Joseph Arnette

Shorter University

Plummer, R. L. (2009). Parables in the Gospels: History of Interpretation and Hermeneutical Guidelines. Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, 13.3, 4–11.

BIO

Robert L. Plummer is associate professor of New Testament Interpretation at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Plummer’s articles have appeared in Westminster Theological Journal, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, New Holman Bible Dictionary, and The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology. He is the author of Paul’s Understanding of the Church’s Mission: Did the Apostle Paul Expect the Early Christian Communities to Evangelize?

SUMMARY

Mr. Plummer’s purpose of this article is to give the readers a more profound look into interpreting parables in the Gospels by defining and offering historical background. Robert L. Plummer started the article by defining “Parable”. He expresses that most Christians do not know the exact meaning of a parable; although they are not incorrect the appropriate definition is “a short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle.” Mr. Plummer also continues to say that the most important part of a parable is the comparison aspect.

Next, Mr. Plummer briefly dives into the background of parables and how they’ve been interpreted throughout church history. He describes that Jesus used parables to illustrate truth and conceal truth. Explaining that allegory was used to interpret parables at the end of the New Testament; Mr. Plummer gives several reasons on why early Christians used allegory to understand parables. One, Jesus used at least a few details of his parables allegorically. Second, Allegory wasn’t unknown to be used to interpret religious text in the Greco-Roman era. Finally, the usage of allegorical interpretation can be attractive to the interpreter because of the secretive aspect that many may enjoy.

Lastly, the Professor Plummer suggest to the reader guidelines on how to interpret parables being that they are said to be misinterpreted throughout church history. First, determining the main points of the parable can be noted very beneficial. Second, recognizing stock imagery in the parables can also help because most parables use symbolic images and by identifying these can make interpreting simpler. Third, pressing all details for meaning may not prove helpful because many details simply make the story interesting and has no meaning at all. Lastly, paying attention to the literary and historical context of the parable will aid in the interpretation of a parable.

STRENGTHS

I find that Mr. Plummer was very aware of the meaning of the word parable and there historical attributes in the world. By reading the article I was able to digest the information easily because of the certain layout Mr. Plummer infused in his article. His many references were extremely helpful, as well as the examples.

I also noticed that Mr. Plummer was knowledgeable on the history of interpretation. His many tips on interpreting the parables will prove to be helpful on reading the gospels. Moreover, finding the main points in the parable as Mr. Plummer so put it will be a frequent advantage to interpreting the gospels.

WEAKNESSES

Although the article was very informing I found that it was rather extensive on the history aspect. Likewise, I felt that interpreting the parables were overwhelmed by the history of parables.

CONCLUSION

I feel that Mr. Plummer accomplished his purpose of giving the history of interpretation. The many sections made me realize the importance of the parables in the gospels. I believe this article should be read by bible historians and your regular bible reader alike.