Myth in parable form: does it make a difference? The story of the architect

Activity: Talk or presentationInvited talk (lezing op uitnodiging)

Description

In Genesis Rabbah, as well as in Philo and several church fathers, one encounters an account of the creation of the world featuring a craftsman or architect with his plans. This myth goes back to Plato’s Timaeus. It sometimes takes the form of a parable and is combined with an exegesis of Gen 1 and Prov 8:22-31. My contribution to the study of these topics is a meticulous attention to the formal aspects of the versions of this story that are presented as parables—or not. By close-reading the parable in Gen. Rab. 1:1, in its midrashic context, as well as the similar stories in other Jewish and Christian contexts, I investigate if and how the message has changed when the account takes the literary form of a parable. I will argue that the choice for the parable form, as well as subtle differences in its form and content—its actors, the relation between parable and application etc.—served as a vehicle of theological messages in early Jewish and early Christian literature.
Period7 Jun 2024
Event titleForm, Function, and Fables:
: Genre in Early Christian, Jewish, and Graeco-Roman Traditions
Event typeConference
LocationMainz, GermanyShow on map
Degree of RecognitionInternational

Keywords

  • genre
  • parables
  • Rabbinic literature
  • Patristic Studies
  • Bible
  • Plato