Parables in the Q Document
Final Report Abstract
Both the study of the parables and the study of Q have enjoyed a place of prominence in NT studies even as the parables in Q have, to a certain extent, been neglected. Central aims of this project were to develop and apply new approaches along literary and intertextual lines to both the study of the parables and to Q, thus advancing scholarship and breaking new ground in the consideration of the parables found in the second major source, alongside Mark, for Matthew and Luke. The international success of the research that occurred within the confines of this project is underscored by the publication of three monographs, a conference volume of collected essays, and several articles, along with numerous presentations held at international conferences. The first monograph, "The Parables in Q" was accepted as the "Habilitationsschrift" of Dieter T. Roth at the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz and is the capstone publication arising from this project. The work embraces recent work on genre and literary theory, develops a new methodological approach to the study of Q as an intertext and not on the basis of word-level reconstruction, and analyzes the 27 parables in Q (2 by John the Baptist, 1 by the Centurion, and 24 by Jesus). The second monograph, "Puzzling the Parables of Jesus: Methods and Interpretation" was published by the grant recipient, Ruben Zimmermann. It reflects the parable definition of the project and devotes a chapter to Q with an exemplary exegesis of the Parable of the Lost Sheep. Finally, "Die Raumsemantik und Figurensemantik der Logienquelle" is the published doctoral dissertation of Arne Bork, who applied the methodological insights gained from the project to his own research on space and characters in Q. The research occurring in Mainz enjoyed significant resonance in the scholarly world, which led to the planning of an international conference that was attended by numerous of the most influential Q scholars in the world today. The conference papers were subsequently published in a volume edited by D. T. Roth, R. Zimmermann, und M. Labahn entitled "Metaphor, Narrative, and Parables in Q". The editors were quite content to read the positive review of the volume in one of the most important publishers of reviews in biblical studies, the "Review of Biblical Literature" (https://www.bookreviews.org/pdf/9848_10886.pdf). Though the contributions to Q scholarship on the basis of source- and redaction-critical should continue to be value, the methodological considerations and narratival emphases developed in this project have also highlighted the weaknesses of such approaches and the fundamental need to purpose new avenues in the study of Q. The initial impetus in this direction has been given through the work arising from this project and both the grant applicant, Ruben Zimmermann, and project “Mitarbeiter”, Dieter T. Roth, are pleased not only with the scholarly conversations that have already occurred but especially with the ongoing scholarly dialogue and inspiration for future work on Q that has come about as a result of the work at the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität in Mainz.
Publications
- Monographie: Puzzling the Parables of Jesus. Methods and Interpretation, Minneapolis: Fortress, 2015
Ruben Zimmermann
- The Parables in Q, London 2018, Library of New Testament studies ; 582
Dieter Roth
