Re-Leavening the Sociohistorical Context of Leaven: Matthew 13:33—The Parable of the Leaven

Abstract Leaven (ζύμη), a lump of leftover fermented dough, is small in comparison to its force. Ironically, the parable of the leaven is the smallest of Jesus’s kingdom parables, and leaven’s significance has frequently been overlooked or misunderstood as a symbol of moral corruption. However, the scene of Matt 13:33 is not one of death or corruption but a parable to a crowd of Jesus followers in an agrarian society where making bread is commonplace. This study devotes principal attention to the use of ζύμη within the primary literature (developing a sketch of leaven’s function and use within its context), while seeking to contribute to the sociohistorical portrait of ζύμη as painted by the artists, doctors, regular people, authors, and philosophers of antiquity. Examining the significant literature and manuscripts of antiquity alongside metaphor theory will reveal the function, symbolism, and literal use of leaven as it pertained to the lives of the hoi polloi.