William Herzog shows that the focus of the parables was not on a vision of the glory of the reign of God but on the gory details of the way oppression served the interests of the ruling class. The parables were a form of social analysis, as well as a form of theological reflection. Herzog scrutinizes their canonical form to show the distinction between its purpose for Jesus and for evangelists. To do this, he uses the tools of historical criticism, including form criticism and redaction criticism.
William R. Herzog II was formerly Sallie Knowles Crozer Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School in Rochester, New York. His books include Parables as Subversive Speech: Jesus as Pedagogue of the Oppressed; Jesus, Justice, and the Reign of God: A Ministry of Liberation; and The Faith of Fifty Million: Baseball, Religion, and American Culture, all published by WJK.
