What are parables and what are they

"Let me tell you a story about three butterflies who wanted to know what fire is." The first of them approached him at a safe distance and, returning, reported that the fire was light. "Another flew closer and scorched the wing." Fire is heat "She said, the third butterfly flew up close and disappeared in the flame forever, now she knew what it was, but she could not tell anyone about it, the one who knows is silent and the one who speaks does not know, - in this place usually pauses pause, and listeners are given the opportunity to reflect on The foregoing.

What do you think, what literary genre belongs to this story? Of course, this is a parable. The meaning of the word is such - it is a short instructive story, which in allegorical form brings to us some kind of wisdom, moral or religious instruction.

What is parable

Let's look at this concept more closely. The lexical meaning of the word "parable" reflects the essence of this literary phenomenon. Firstly, as we already know, such a story can not be long. There are no detailed descriptions of the place of action, the characters of the characters and the development of the plot, as, for example, in the fable. In addition, unlike the fable, the parable does not always end in morality. Events are not pictured, but are designated as a background, or a peculiar cocoon, from which the main idea should form.

So what are parables? These are moral teachings, dressed in an entertaining form, as modern educators would say in the early development of children. Take at least a story about butterflies. If we were just told the last phrase, we would hardly have realized, let alone remember its meaning. But thanks to a beautiful and understandable story, the puzzle in our head will be formed in a matter of seconds, and we will perfectly understand the idea that they tried to convey to us. In this case, at the end of the story, an explanation of its meaning is given, but this is not always the case. Some parables do not give out the "right answer" on the last page, and then each interprets them in its own way.

What are the parables

This genre has been used since ancient times by various religious and philosophical teachings. So, there are philosophical, eastern, Confucian, Sufi, Christian parables. And this is not a complete list of them. It will be appropriate to recall the famous Caucasian toasts, which are often clothed in the parable form, which is why they are loved far beyond the fertile mountain range.

Proverbs of Solomon

Many of us have heard the name, but do not really know what "Proverbs of Solomon" is. This is one of the books of the Old Testament, authored by the Israeli King Solomon. It says that he received his wisdom and knowledge from God. Once Solomon decided to share them and "spoke" 3 thousand parables. Some of them came in the form of the 20th book in the Bible (the Old Testament) and is more like sayings and teachings on religious and moral topics than parables in the classical sense. After all, what are parables? This, as we already know, is an allegorical story that leads us to some conclusion. The book of Solomon consists of direct utterances and advice, which in themselves are moral teachings.

The Gospel

Quite different parables, told by Jesus Christ in the New Testament or the Gospel. Simple stories from everyday life of people or their surrounding reality at the moment of interpretation acquire a deep moral sense, indicate to man his spiritual path to God.

Let us recall the parable "On the Prodigal Son." My father had two sons. The elder diligently worked with his father. The youngest asked for his share of the inheritance and went to wander and lead an idle life. After the money was over, and attempts to find even the most black work ended in failure, the son in repentance returned home. The only thing he dreamed about was to get his father's forgiveness and to hire him to work. What was his surprise and happiness when he was greeted with open arms and honors. The eldest son was offended and reproached his father for meeting a wicked man with such joy that he, a faithful and hardworking son of his father, had never seen. To which I received approximately the following answer: "You have always been here. All mine is yours. But I rejoice that your brother was dead, but now he is alive again, he disappeared and was found. " There are several interpretations of this parable, but all of them converge in one thing: the father is God. As for the brothers, there are several options. According to one of them, the elder brother is a righteous man, the younger one is a penitent sinner. There is a version that under the older brother is understood the God-chosen Jewish people, and under the younger one - pagans who seek and receive God's grace.

Sufi

On the question of who these Sufis are, it's not so easy to give an unambiguous answer. This is a religious teaching recognized by one of the branches of Islam, however, having little to do with it. The bearers of the Sufi picture of the world were dervishes - eternal pilgrims, seeking the path to Truth or the Most High, which are the same thing. A person can be called a Sufi if he is looking for his way to the Truth, to spiritual renewal and perfection outside any system whatsoever. "Being Sufi means being the way you were before you appeared in this world," are the words of one of the most famous followers of this teaching - Sheikh Abu Bakr al-Shibli. We have the opportunity to touch the understanding of Sufism through familiarity with their amazing parables, full of wisdom and love.

Completion

Now we know what parables are like, what they are and who wrote them. But in order to really understand what it is like, to experience the magical effect of this genre on your ability to think and feel, you need to read them yourself.