The interpretation of kingdom of God in the message of Jesus. Kingdom of God in the ancient Jewish literature ; Kingdom of God in the message of Jesus ; Kingdom of God in Christian literature -- The modern interpretation of the parables of Jesus. Joachim Jeremias and the historical interpretation of the parables of Jesus ; The "new hermeneutic" and the parables of Jesus ; Amos Wilder : Early Christian rhetoric : the language of the gospel ; Robert W. Funk : the parable as metaphor ; Dan Otto Via, Jr. : the parable as aesthetic object ; John Dominic Crossan : the parable as poetic metaphor ; The SBL Parables Seminar -- The kingdom of God and the parables of Jesus : some conclusions. The message of the historical Jesus ; The interpretation of kingdom of God in the message of Jesus ; The interpretation of the parables of Jesus ; Simile, metaphor, and myth ; The final element in the act of interpretation.