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on the surface
this is westwend, by the way, with a new name.
yes it would seem that this is accepting a sinner back into the fold
but there could be more -- I haven't thought about this really at all.
the one thing is that the prodigal is equal in the father's eyes to the son who stayed ath ome.
but beyond that, the prodigal is better -- he has gone through a lot -- he has learned things that the son who decided on safety hasn't. He is a stronger man and a better. He can make better decisions because of his experience.
maybe the father recognizes more of himself in the returning prodigal than he does in the son who chose the safe route.
the prodigal is one who will take chances -- and who has learned from his mistakes. the son safe at home has no mistakes to learn from, who will not take chances -- who will stay the safe course.
and as far as Yeshua being a subversive?
many Jewish sects lay outside the accepted Temple religion, with the priests and scribes and all that. Yeshua was very probably a member of such a sect, one that was rooted in the out-of-the-way Galilee region -- and one that was related to the Pharisees, if not of the Pharisaical religion (many Pharisees held tremendous respect for him). It appears he was a rabbi. He had a moment of enlightenment and struck out on his own. He went to Jerusalem and confronted the Sadducees at the temple, then was crucified.
If you take certain actions, such as the overturning of the moneychangers tables and certain responses he gave to people, and if you let a psychologist examine these, I think you will come up with a distinct personality. We need more psychologists to look into this and fewer theologians. But this personality is why I believe that this was indeed an actual historical character.
posted by
Xeno-x
on January 17, 2005 at 9:14 AM
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Pappy -
Oh, the list of things I don't know is long and sometimes unreadable, so I know what you mean.
posted by
sannhet
on January 16, 2005 at 7:17 AM
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Good pick up, sannhet
I'm sure that Jesus taught the parable with himself in mind as the prodigal son. Some in the early church did not like this doctrine any more than they liked the idea of Jesus needing baptism. It has always been hard for me to imagine a Jesus that had never sinned, and still be really human. Knowing that i screw up is what i see as reality, hopefully less as i grow older, but certainly a constant presence in the 'human condition.' I do not know this as Truth, however, it seems like only a possibility. There are a lot of things i don't know, and i suspect nobody does, yet.
posted by
pappy
on January 15, 2005 at 5:27 PM
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Friaf -
And the book is available at Amazon (ISBN:0-06-060917-6).
posted by
sannhet
on January 15, 2005 at 7:10 AM
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Friar -
The Subversiveness is not new. And really the message of God being compassionate is not new. It's just a new interpretation of an old parable that reinforces God's compassion, not his judgement.
posted by
sannhet
on January 15, 2005 at 7:09 AM
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JustA -
I recommend the book. It's a great read.
posted by
sannhet
on January 15, 2005 at 7:08 AM
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But how new
is the good professor's interpretation? I don't see how the subversion of Yeshua in this parable is different from what we already know. He was a subversive I can grant you that. And in a way that was unimaginable in his time.
Is the book available at Amazon?
posted by
Friar__Tuck
on January 15, 2005 at 4:58 AM
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I accept as well
posted by
justAcarpenter
on January 14, 2005 at 9:47 PM
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