David B. Gowler’s //The Parables after Jesus: Their Imaginative Receptions across Two Millennia// is an historical survey of ways in which the parables of Jesus have been interpreted and used in writings and visual art. This is not a collection of complete examples of interpretation of specific parables; this is, rather, Gowler’s own exposition of pieces of others’ interpretations in relatively chronological order. In fact, there is no single parable used as a point of reference for the myriad of authors and interpretations, nor is there a single piece provided in its entirety. The only arguable exception to the latter is the inclusion of black and white thumbnail images of artwork in an appendix as references for those interpreted by Gowler in the larger text. It appears as though this will not change for publication (see final note below), and they are hardly helpful in their current size and quality.

This is a proper history book, not a helpful resource for understanding Jesus’ parables. If you’re looking for one person’s exposition on historical theology and secular use (or inspiration) of Jesus’ parables that reads like an academic lecture, then this may be for you. If you’re looking for original source authors’ complete examples and their own explanations, this is not the book for you. I did not find the text to be as helpful as I’d hoped, and reading one’s academic interpretation of artwork without providing the actual artwork is a bit frustrating.

The digital copy I received noted several times, “THIS IS NOT FINAL TEXT.” The title is misspelled and appendices were incomplete, but I hope I have helped the reader determine if the finished and published book may be worth reading, using, and owning.

*I received a temporary digital copy for review from Baker Academic via NetGalley.

I am becoming a big fan of Baker Academic books. Their Brazos commentaries are some of the best, if not the best commentaries on the market and I read a few of their books on Paul that were top notch as well. When I saw The Parables after Jesus was an offering on NetGalley, I crossed my fingers when I hit "request." I jumped for joy when I was approved.
This is not a light offering, as one can imagine from the sub-title- Receptions across Two Millennia! The book does certainly cover that topic. The focus of the book is on the parables looking at what they more than likely meant to the listeners at the time and how they have transformed throughout church history. Much of why they transformed was because of who were influencers within the church and what was the preaching narrative. Early in the church's life, parables were meant to give an idea of who God was. As time moved, they became symbols for other things. As time moved forward again, they became morality lessons. Time shaped the parables and world events shaped them as well.
This would be a wonderful addition to any scholar or anyone looking to get deeper into the parables than can be imagined.