A parable is a succinct story, in prose or verse, which illustrates one or more instructive principles, or lessons, or (sometimes) a normative principle. It differs from a fable in that fables use animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as characters, while parables generally feature human characters. It is a type of analogy.
Some scholars of the Canonical gospels and the New Testament apply the term "parable" only to the parables of Jesus, though that is not a common restriction of the term. Parables such as "The Prodigal Son" are central to Jesus' teaching method in both the canonical narratives and the apocrypha.
Read more about Parable: Etymology, Characteristics, History
Famous quotes containing the word parable:
“Every perfect life is a parable invented by God.”
—Simone Weil (1909–1943)
“Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.”
—Bible: New Testament, Luke 18:1.
“For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.”
—Bible: New Testament Jesus, in Matthew, 25:29.
In the parable of the talents.