Parables Contradicting Each Other

Parables have been studied extensively as to their parallels, variants, common Bildfeld and relationship between mashal and nimshal. In addition, from Ziegler on, attempts have been made to derive historical circumstances from the Bildfeld used in parables, while reckoning with the predilection of the parable for the grotesque and absurd (Poorthuis, NTT, 2016). Less attention has been given, however, to the interrelation of the parables as to their messages, especially as to their seemingly contradictions. Some parables recommend to preserve an entrusted deposit without using it, whereas other parables chide the recipient for not exploiting the trusted treasure to the full (Parabel of talents / pounds, SER: corn and flax). The well-known parable of the lame and the blind, featuring both in rabbinic literature and in several Christian documents, points to the interconnectedness of body and soul at the Final Judgement, whereas a similar parable argues for the bodily impurity in distinction to the purity of the soul. Some parables illustrate how God addresses Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, whereas other parables argue that Gods presence can only be found within the land of Israel. More general, many king parables are based upon the radical distinction between an earthly king and the heavenly King, whereas others take an earthly king as example of how God acts. Exploring these contradictions may shed more light upon the rules underlying the use of parables.