Following the Good Shepherd: The Patristic and Medieval Exegesis of John 10 and Luke 15

This thesis presents an analysis of the exegetical tradition surrounding the Biblical image of sheep and shepherds. It focuses specifically on two parables given by Christ: The Parable of the Good Shepherd as recorded in John 10 and the Parable of the Lost Sheep as recorded in Luke 15. First, the Patristic and Medieval interpretations of each parable are addressed individually, identifying the ontological focus of the John 10 interpretations and the economical focus of the Luke 15 interpretations, noting a consistency of interpretations between the time periods. Finally, the thesis turns to Patristic and Medieval poetry, discovering them to blend the interpretations of each parable. This blend therefore provides an occasion for expressing the unified tradition of the sheep and shepherd image as a message of salvation