A parable is a succinct story, in prose or verse, which illustrates one or more instructive principles, or lessons, or (sometimes) a normative principle. It differs from a fable in that fables use animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as characters, while parables generally feature human characters. It is a type of analogy.
Some scholars of the Canonical gospels and the New Testament apply the term "parable" only to the parables of Jesus, though that is not a common restriction of the term. Parables such as "The Prodigal Son" are central to Jesus' teaching method in both the canonical narratives and the apocrypha.
Read more about Parable: Etymology, Characteristics, History
Famous quotes containing the word parable:
“Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
—Bible: New Testament Jesus, in Matthew, 25:21.
Here and in 25:23, said to the two “profitable servants” in the parable of the talents.
“I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.”
—Bible: New Testament Luke, 16:3.
The unjust steward in the Parable of the Unjust Steward.
“Every perfect life is a parable invented by God.”
—Simone Weil (1909–1943)