The remarkable parable of the prodigal son has instrumental instructional value. As Donahue points out, the Lukan context is the original and most meaningful, as it pivots around the father’s behavior and firmly establishes the older son as being the antagonist. The parable of the prodigal son has multiple layers of meaning, and even establishes new paradigms for the human relationship with God. On a more mundane level, the parable of the prodigal son redefines the nature of family and the father-son relationship, which can be viewed as a metaphor for the God-Man relationship. The Lukan version of the parable of the prodigal son encapsulates the Christian message. With this parable, Luke shows how the Christian vision of worship and prayer had become qualitatively different from the Jewish version. Indeed, Luke provides us with a distinct theology of Christ. Luke shows how forgiveness, compassion, and mercy would become cornerstones of Christian faith, evident in the father’s actions towards his wayward son. The prodigal son had become a swineherd, thus completely lost spiritually and symbolically cut off from his kin and community. Whereas the older brother would scorn and censure him, the father literally runs towards him, embracing...
The prodigal son is thus restored to his position in the family, and this is how Luke redefines not just family relationships and social norms but also the relationships between petitioners and God.References
Bergant, D. & Fragomeni, R. “Preaching the New Lectionary”
Donahue, J.R. The Gospel in parable.
Malina, B. & Rohrbaugh, R. “Social Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels”
Pilch, J. The cultural world of Jesus. Social Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels
Justification by Faith in Romans Paul's Epistle to the Romans is not the only treatment of the concept of justification in the New Testament -- Paul discusses the concept in other letters as well -- but it is perhaps the most extensive. That is because the concept of justification by faith is central to Paul's overall argument in the Epistle to the Romans, and is thus introduced early in the letter,
After learning that her sister had returned and was embraced with such a celebration, she felt anger and resentment. She could not understand why her sister was getting so much glory when it was the oldest sister that had done everything that her parents wanted her to do and had never received such a celebration. She was very upset with her sister. The oldest daughter approached her parents and told
Conventional literature would come to see Cleopatra as an exploitive whore, responsible for the downfall of virtuous men like the Ptolemies, Julius Caesar and, inevitably, Marc Antony as well. So is this reported by historical accounts such as that by Cassius Dio who reflected that "Indeed she so enchanted and enthralled not only Antony but all others who counted for anything with him that she came to entertain the hope that she would rule the
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