"Let me tell you a story about three butterflies who wanted to know what fire is. The first of them approached a safe distance and, returning, said that fire is 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 couldn’t tell anyone about it. The one who knows is silent, and the one who speaks doesn’t know," - a pause usually hangs in this place, and listeners are given the opportunity to reflect on d said.
What literary genre do you think this story belongs to? Of course, this is a parable. The meaning of the word is such - this is a short instructive story, which in allegorical form conveys to us a certain wisdom, moral or religious instruction.
What are parables
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 cannot be long. There are no detailed descriptions of the scene, the characters of the characters and the development of the plot, as, for example, in the fable. In addition, unlike a fable, a parable does not always end with morality. Events are not painted, but are designated as a background, or a kind of cocoon, from which the main idea should be formed.
So what are parables? These are moral teachings put on in an entertaining form, as modern educators on the early development of children would say. Take the story of butterflies, for example. If we were just told the last phrase, we would hardly have realized, and even more so, remembered its meaning. But thanks to a beautiful and understandable story, the puzzle in our head will develop in a matter of seconds, and we will perfectly understand the idea that we tried to convey to us. In this case, at the end of the story, an explanation of its meaning is given, but this does not always happen. Some parables do not give the “right answer” on the last page, and then everyone interprets them in their own way.
What are the parables
This genre has been used since ancient times by various religious and philosophical teachings. So, there are philosophical, oriental, Confucian, Sufi, Christian parables. And this is not a complete list of them. Here it will be appropriate to recall the famous Caucasian toasts, which very often clothe themselves in parable form, which is why they are loved far beyond the borders of a fertile mountain range.
The Parables of Solomon
Many of us have heard the name, but do not really know what the “Parables of Solomon” are. This is one of the books of the Old Testament, authored by the king of Israel, 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 are included in the Bible in the form of the 20th book (Old Testament) and are more like sayings and teachings on religious and moral topics than parables in the classical sense. After all, what are parables? These, as we already know, are allegorical stories that lead us to some kind of conclusion. The book of Solomon consists of direct statements and advice, which in themselves are moralizing.
Gospel
Quite different parables narrated by Jesus Christ in the New Testament or Gospel. Simple stories from the everyday life of people or the reality surrounding them at the time of interpretation acquire a deep moral meaning, show a person his spiritual path to God.
Recall the parable "On the Prodigal Son." The father had two sons. The elder worked diligently with his father. The younger one asked for his share of the inheritance and went to wander and lead an idle life. After the money ran out, and attempts to find even the most dirty work ended in failure, the son returned home in remorse. The only thing he dreamed about was to receive the forgiveness of his father and to engage in workers for him. Imagine his surprise and happiness when he was greeted with open arms and honors. The eldest son was offended and reproached his father that he met the wicked with such joy that he - the 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. And I rejoice that your brother was dead, and now he came to life, disappeared and was found. " There are several interpretations of this parable, but they all agree on one thing: the father is God. As for the brothers, there are several options. According to one of them, the elder brother is the righteous, the younger is the repentant sinner. There is a version that the elder brother means the Jewish people chosen by God, and the younger one means pagans who seek and find God's grace.
Sufi
To the question of who the Sufis are, it is not so simple to give a definite answer. This is a religious teaching recognized by one of the branches of Islam, however, which has little in common with it. The bearers of the Sufi picture of the world were dervishes - eternal wanderers seeking the path to Truth or the Most High, which are one and the same. A person can be called a Sufi if he is looking for his way to the Truth, to spiritual renewal and perfection outside of any system. “To be a Sufi means to be what you were before you appeared in this world,” these 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 acquaintance with their amazing parables, full of wisdom and love.
Completion
Now we know what parables are, what they are and who wrote them. But in order to really understand what it is, to experience the magical effect of this genre on your ability to think and feel, you need to read them yourself.