Does the Prodigal Son parable predate Jesus?

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Cicero_NOLA

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I was watching this video
which features a few minutes of Chris Stefanick’s presentation at SEEK 2015. In it he discusses the parable of the prodigal son and claims that it was a story that was widely known to Jesus’ audience at the time because rabbis frequently told it with the big difference being that the father humiliates and disowns his repentant son. On this account, Jesus has really shocked his listeners by inverting their expectations (which is the sort of thing He did all the time).

I’ve never heard anything like this alleged history/context for the parable. I tried a search both here and on the web for some corroboration, but didn’t come up with anything pertinent. Has any of you heard this claim before?

Thanks,
Cicero_NOLA
 
haven’t heard but think so it was a popular “story” among those people which Jesus used to tell them about the love of God
 
Does he provide any supporting evidence for his assertion?

Even if he did, what point is he trying to make? Even if the story did predate Jesus’ telling, He changed the ending of it to express the reality of God’s mercy and love. In essence, even though the setup may have been the same, it’s a completely different story.
 
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To clarify: I’m not making a claim along the lines of, “other religions have a similar X, therefore Christianity got it from there and it isn’t true.” He didn’t provide any citation that’s visible in the video and he presents it like it’s a little-known fact, but not like he is the first modern person to realize it.

I agree that taking a familiar story and dramatically reversing the ending would make a huge impression on the listener and that it sounds like the sort of thing Jesus would do. I was just surprised that I have never heard this claim before because it is such a familiar parable and literally every Christian of any description is ready to tell you all about it. It seemed like I had missed a very interesting boat at some point. The idea that this story was the first century’s version of the three little pigs before Jesus recast it in His own way took me aback.
 
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Yes, but which part? Is it the first part about returning prodigious son, or the indignation of the law-abiding brother?
 
Unless there is supporting evidence, I would be wary about passing this story on. I haven’t heard this before
 
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