Editing Parable (section)

==History==
The [[Bible]] contains numerous parables in the [[Gospel]]s of the [[New Testament]] ([[Parables of Jesus|Jesus' parables]]). These are believed by some scholars (such as [[John P. Meier]]) to have been inspired by ''[[Mashal (allegory)|mashal]]im'', a form of Hebrew comparison prominent in the [[Talmud|Talmudic period]] (c. 2nd-6th centuries CE).<ref name="A Marginal Jew">[[John P. Meier]], ''[[A Marginal Jew]]'', volume II, Doubleday, 1994.</ref> Examples of Jesus' parables include the [[Good Samaritan]] and the [[Prodigal Son]]. Mashalim from the [[Old Testament]] include the parable of the ewe-lamb (told by [[Nathan (Prophet)|Nathan]] in 2 Samuel 12:1-9<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=289892665|title=oremus Bible Browser : 2 Sam 12:1-9|website=bible.oremus.org}}</ref>) and the parable of the woman of Tekoah (in 2 Samuel 14:1-13 <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=534123881|title=oremus Bible Browser|website=bible.oremus.org}}</ref>).

Parables also appear in [[Islam]].  In [[Sufi]] tradition, parables are used for imparting lessons and values. Recent authors such as [[Idries Shah]] and [[Anthony de Mello (Jesuit priest)|Anthony de Mello]] have helped popularize these stories beyond Sufi circles.

Modern parables also exist. A mid-19th-century example, the [[parable of the broken window]], criticizes a part of [[Economics|economic]] thinking.