Parable of the Ten Virgins
[1] It was one of the most popular parables in the Middle Ages and had influence on Gothic art, sculpture and the architecture of German and French cathedrals.
Each of the ten virgins is carrying a lamp or torch[3] as they await the coming of the bridegroom, which they expect at some time during the night.
Realising their lamps are going out, the foolish virgins ask the wise ones for oil, but they refuse, saying that there will certainly not (Greek ou mē)[4] be enough for them to share.
Watch therefore, for you don't know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.The parable is one of a sequence of responses to a question in Matthew 24: And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, tell us, when shall these things be?
R. T. France writes that the parable is "a warning addressed specifically to those inside the professing church who are not to assume that their future is unconditionally assured.
"[2] This story in its present form in Matthew seems to be an allegory, at least in its implied identification of the bridegroom as the Son of Man (cf.
24:44) and reflection of the church’s experience of delay in his Parousia[8][9][10] – although not a full-blown allegory like the Parable of the Sower, where almost every detail of the story has a hidden meaning.
[11] It has been argued that its original form, possibly on the lips of Jesus himself, was likely a narrative parable that simply illustrated the contrasting outcomes of groups who prepared themselves for uncertain circumstances and those who did not.
These virgins practiced the virtues, but in their spiritual ignorance they supposed that the Christian life consisted merely in doing good works.
'"[22] Spencer W. Kimball gave an LDS perspective on the difference between the wise and the foolish virgins, and why they could not share the oil: "This was not selfishness or unkindness.
According to Jan Lambrecht, "a considerable number of exegetes in fact suppose that the parable of 'The Wise and Foolish Virgins' ultimately goes back to Jesus.
[28] Bart Ehrman wrote that the parable makes sense within the context of the Church during the time period before the Gospel of Matthew was written, around 60–90 AD.
A special Church service enacting the parable of the ten virgins is celebrated on Tuesday evening of the Holy Week.
[citation needed] In the Syriac Orthodox Church, the parable is used to commemorate the Sunday vespers service of Nahire.
They believe Nahire symbolizes living in accordance with the 10 virgins, and that only through a life of dedication, vigilance, fasting and prayer can we be ready for the Bridegroom himself.
An engraving titled "The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins" is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which labels it "After Pieter Bruegel the Elder", "ca.
The ubiquity of such sculptures has inspired a fictional description: the carvings on the doors of Kingsbridge cathedral in Ken Follett's novel World Without End, set in the Late Middle Ages.
The Wise Virgins is a one-act ballet, written in 1941 by William Walton, based on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, with choreography by Frederick Ashton.
Non-religious music has also used the parable as a theme, such as the ballet "The wise and the foolish virgins" by Swedish composer Kurt Atterberg (1887–1974), written in 1920.
A reference is made to the parable in the 2002 Johnny Cash song "The Man Comes Around," which draws heavily on the Bible.
On the 1974 album by Genesis — The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway — a reference to the parable is made in the song The Carpet Crawlers: "and the wise and foolish virgins giggle with their bodies glowing bright."
