parable · parable taught by Jesus of Nazareth according to the Christian Gospel of Matthew
Ten wait for the bridegroom; five bring oil for their lamps and five do not, and the door is shut. Matthew places it among the last discourses, and the early church read it as the church awaiting the return. The wise and foolish virgins are carved on the west fronts of Strasbourg, Magdeburg and Erfurt.