Return to the Common

Br. Andrew Lyons, O.P., notes that early interpretations of the parable of the prodigal son viewed the story as a representation of two groups of people rather than two individuals.

Writing for Dominicana, Lyons explains that the Glossa Ordinaria, a collection of medieval and patristic Bible commentaries, interprets the parable as a reference to the Jews and the Gentiles. According to the Glossa, God the Father is the creator of both groups. The older son represents the people of Israel who remained faithful to the worship of one God, while the younger son represents the Gentiles who had abandoned God to worship idols.

Lyons observes that modern readers typically interpret the parable through the lens of individual sin and self-righteousness, whereas the earliest commentaries applied the details of the story to the relationship between these two peoples.