Kim jest oblubieniec w przypowieści o dziesięciu pannach (Mt 25,1-13)? Między tradycyjnymi i współczesnymi próbami zrozumienia

Abstract

The main aim of the article is to present, employing the tools of historical criticism, six problematic “nodes” around which a complex exegesis of the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Mt 25:1-13) has evolved over the centuries. These six problems are: (a) the identity of παρθένοι (the changes in the meaning stemming from the accommodation process); (b) the aspect of competition within a patriarchal society (good or bad?); (c) the bride (present or absent?); (d) the role of the virgins in the wedding procession (the chance of finding a husband, witnesses to the marriage contract, part of the beauty of the wedding ceremony?); (e) lamps or torches?; and (f) the fate of the foolish virgins (punishment or harm?). Moreover, historical criticism also points out a number of problems concerning the critica textus, as well as the intricate process of editing which influenced the understanding of the parable. Yet the most important question, as encapsulated in the article, is the identity and proper understanding of the bridegroom: does this character (as tradition has it) represent Jesus himself or, conversely, might it perhaps serve here as a personification of social injustice?