Raymond Angelo Belliotti is SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of philosophy at the State University of New York at Fredonia. He is the author of fourteen books, including Posthumous Harm: Why the Dead are Still Vulnerable, Niccolo Machiavelli: The Laughing Lion and the Strutting Fox, and Roman Philosophy and the Good Life.

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1: The Good Samaritan: “And who is my neighbor?”Chapter 2: The Prodigal Son: “All that I have is thine”Chapter 3: The Laborers in the Vineyard: “Whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive”Chapter 4: The Unforgiving Servant: “Shouldest not thou also have had compassion?”Chapter 5: The Rich Fool: “Then whose shall those things be?”Chapter 6: The Unjust Steward: “Because he had done wisely”BibliographyIndexAbout the Author

Belliotti examines the ethical ramifications of six parables attributed to Jesus in the New Testament. . . .Belliotti is conversant with solid scholarship and avoids inadvertent anti-Jewish interpretations. He explains the main camps of historical Jesus debates, from the Jesus Seminar to more traditional accounts. Amid these debates, he suggests that however one construes Jesus and his views on eschatology and the kingdom of God, the parables clearly make ethical demands in the present age. He compares these demands with insights from East and West. . . .This is a fine example of a serious philosopher putting ancient texts into critical dialogue with other classic works. This book will be especially useful for advanced undergraduate religion or philosophy seminars. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers.