The development of the Gospels consisted of three stages: the first stage being the period of Jesus' life, the second stage being the period of Oral Tradition and the third stage being the period of the Evangelists (16). The first stage is the period of Jesus' life. ... The third stage is the period of the Evangelists.
In the remainder of this section of the unit, you will examine three aspects of Jesus' parables. First, as you study Jesus' ministry of parables, you will see the shift in Jesus' ministry from miracles to parables. Second, you will study the purpose of Jesus' parables. Finally, you will examine in some detail one of Jesus' most famous and longest parables: the parable of the prodigal son.
