—Anonymous
A Great Work can be classified as a living document. It is a piece of work that is able to remain relevant to all people, regardless of age or class, in any time period. The parables of the Scholar’s Guide, by Petrus Alfonsus, are considered to be Great Works of literature because of their relevance to all people. The Parable of the whole man is an example of a parable within The Scholar’s Guide that is a Great Work because morals of the parable can be learned by all people. In the parable of the whole man two merchants, one from Baldach and the other from Egypt befriend one another due to their occupation. When the merchant from Baldach becomes sick, to Egyptian gives up all of his property, even his future wife, losing all he has in the process, but saving his friend. Years later when the Egyptian is condemned to death for a crime he didn’t commit, the merchant from Baldach readily and without hesitance takes his friend’s place. The parable remains relevant to this day because it shows the type of friends one should look for and the type of person one should become. The main idea of the parable is to find a person willing to give all for the sake of others, a selfless person. Both the merchant from Baldach and the Egyptian merchant exemplify the types of friends we should try to find and maintain a relationship with. But more than that, it exemplifies the type of people we should aspire to be. Simply looking for a person that would help us in our time of need and be selfless isn’t enough. In the parable, both merchants are seen to be selfless implying the reciprocity of a “whole” relationship. If one wants this type of relationship to work and exist, one has to be ready to match one’s expectations. Overall, the parable of the whole friend is relevant today as it exemplifies the type of relationship we should all strive to have. Maintaining a relationship is like a two way street in that it won’t work without both parties. In this way the parable shows the qualities of a whole friend and the qualities we need to become one.
