The Parable of Wise and Foolish Builders in Yishen Lun and Rabbinic Literature

Abstract

The paper undertakes a comparative analysis of the parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders as presented in three distinct sources: the seventh-century Dunhuang manuscript Yishen Lun (Discourse on God), the sixth-century rabbinic text Avot D’Rabbi Nathan, and the Gospels (Matthew and Luke) of the Christian Bible. It explores the imagery used, piety taught, and worldviews conveyed in these renditions, concluding that the version in Yishen Lun shares a closer resemblance with the one in rabbinic literature than with the Gospels. This discovery, in conjunction with previously published findings by the author, challenges the conventional classification of Yishen Lun as an “Aluoben document” (or a Jingjiao document, for that matter), underscoring the need for further research and inquiry.

Keywords

• <i>Yishen Lun</i> (Discourse on God)
• the “Wise and Foolish Builders” parable
• <i>Avot D’Rabbi Nathan</i>
• Chinese Christianity
• <i>Jingjiao</i> study