Parables in Q

Few New Testament topics have been discussed as often and as intensely as Q, the hypothesized second major source alongside the gospel of Mark for the gospels of Matthew and Luke, and the parables. And yet, no monograph to date has been devoted to considering the parables in Q. In addition to filling this gap in New Testament scholarship, Dieter T. Roth addresses the need to move scholarship on both Q and the parables forward along methodological and interpretive lines. Roth considers Q not as a text behind Matthew and Luke that needs to be reconstructed but rather as an intertext between Matthew and Luke that offered plots, characters, and images in parables that were taken up by Matthew and Luke and utilized in their own respective texts. In addition, Roth draws on recent parables research in his examination of the 27 parables in Q (two spoken by John the Baptist, one by the Centurion, and 24 by Jesus) in order to consider their purpose and function in this early Christian text.

To summarize, The Parables in Q is without a doubt an important contribution not only to the study of Q but also to the broader field of synoptic studies, giving New Testament scholars in multiple research areas considerable food for thought… Well written, argued, and researched, the monograph is an excellent addition to the landmark Library of New Testament Studies series., All in all, Roth’s work is valuable on both the literary and historical fronts. Those who like to study the parables would do well to engage this work along with any work on parables or the Synoptic Gospels.

Dieter T. Roth is Privatdozent at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany.