LANGUAGE IN INDIA

A Literary Study of the Parables in the Gospels of the Bible

Shanthi Nehemiah, M.A., M.Phil.

Parables Around the World

Hundreds of fables were composed in ancient India often as stories within frame stories. These included Panchatantra, the Hitopadesha, Vikram and The vapire, and Syntipas' Seven Wise Masters, which were collections of fables that were later influential throughout the Old World. The most famous fables from the Middle East were the One Thousand and One Nights, also known as the Arabian Nights.

Indian Mythology

Indian Mythology is one of the richest elements of Indian Culture, which enriches it further and makes it a unique one in the world. Through generations, different stories in Indian mythology have been passed from generation to generation either by word of mouth or through carefully stored scriptures. These stories, which form the backbone of Indian mythology, are a great medium for people especially parents to inculcate interest in Indian Culture in the younger generation and to impart values of Indian culture to them. The interesting aspect of the stories in Indian Mythology is that they are usually meant to convey subtle facts, rules and maxims to guide our daily lives.

Parables/fables in India

The Panchatantra is a legendary collection of short stories from India. The etymology of term 'Panchatantra' suggests that it is a combination of two words, 'Pancha' (five) and 'Tantra' (practice/ principle). So, the five principles or practices illustrated by Panchatantra are 'Mitra Bhedha' (Loss of Friends), 'Mitra Laabha' (Gaining Friends), 'Suhrudbheda' (Causing discord between Friends), 'Vigraha' (Separation) and 'Sandhi' (Union). The Panchatantra is the oldest collection of Indian fables surviving today. Panchatantra, consists of five books of animal fables and magic tales. Each of these stories have a moral that continues to be relevant to this day. The purpose behind the Panchatantra was to implant moral values and governing skills in the young sons of the ancient kings. The ancient Sanskrit text boasts of various animal stories in verse and prose.

During all these centuries, many authors and publishers worked hard to make these fables accessible and readable to laymen. The grand assortment has extraordinary tales that are liked, by people of every age group. The Panchatantra is the best guide to enroot moral values in children since its each tale has a moral lesson in its end. The Panchtantra is a great book where plants and animals can speak and converse with human beings too.

Buddhist instructional materials also take the form of parables.

Some Differences between the Parables of Jesus and Non-Christian Sages

However, there are several differences between the parables of Jesus Christ and the parables found in other texts. For one thing, parables of Jesus do not focus on magical elements to describe the characters presented in them or to carry out exemplary action through them. Within the Books of the Old and New Testaments, only Jesus resorts to the use of parables as his own specific and unique style. Even his disciples and other writers of the books in the New Testament do not use parables in any significant amount. Parable did not grow into a separate genre which is used by all writers of the books of the Bible. On the other hand, forms similar to parables are quite popular with many writers within other religions. Jesus' parables were presented in local idiom, Aramaic dialect, but the parables in other religious texts may be in classical mode as well.

Personification of animals and natural elements is not significant in Jesus' parables.

The Bible - A Conglomeration of Different Literary Styles

Many types of writing make up the Bible. Parables, or parabolic passages, concentrated in the Gospels, are one of those genres. The Bible also contains legal codes, such as those one can read in the books of Moses. We can find poetry in the Psalms and elsewhere. There are also prophecies, histories, hymns, letters and speeches in the Bible. There are allegories, metaphors, similes, epics, riddles and wise sayings. We need to see these different literary genres for what they are, in their contexts.

Legal codes and delicate poetry are different. Letters may whisper personal details about their writers. Metaphors aren't meant literally. Failure to understand the literary style can lead to misunderstanding and misinterpretation. How, then, should we look at Jesus' parables?

To begin this exploration, it would be easy for our understanding if we have a clear picture of what parable is. What are the other literary styles related to it?

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Levels of Politeness in Malaysian Parliamentary Discourse | Grammatical Influence of Telugu on Hyderabad Tamil | Separated by a Common Language - Asian Students Writing in English | Modality, Mood and Modal Auxiliaries: A Critique | The Impact of Translation Method On Word Meaning And Fill-In-the-Blank Tests Procedures on Short-Term and Long-Term Retention of Vocabulary Items | Proverbs in Tamil and Telugu | Chandra Lekha in He who Rides a Tiger by Bhabani Bhattacharya | A Literary Study of the Parables in the Gospels of the Bible | Can Hurdles be Overcome by Learners of ESL in Learning to Speak English? | A Strategy-based Scheme for Promoting Vocabulary Retention among Language Learners | The Effect of Text Authenticity on the Performance of Iranian EFL Students in a C-Test | On Interrogating Language and Cognition | Towards Education Reforms - Decolonizing English Studies in India | Girish Karnad's Yayati - A Tale of Malcontent All Around | HOME PAGE of September 2009 Issue | HOME PAGE | CONTACT EDITOR