Apothegm

An apothegm is a short and meaningful saying. Some Bible scholars use the term apothegm to describe brief stories in the Gospels that end with a saying of Jesus. These are also known as "pronouncement stories." Examples are found in Matthew 8:18–22; 9:10–13; 16:1–4; Mark 2:18–22; 10:13–15; Luke 6:1–5; 11:37–44. The stories do not have a larger historical setting. They contain only enough detail to make the saying of Jesus understandable. These stories were very important to the early church. They used them in worship, in teaching new Christians, and in correcting false teachings.