12:23-25). A unique literary style can have a great impact on the piece in which it is used, and on the readers. The inner and outer conflicts between good and evil, heaven and hell, light and darkness, angels and demons, wisdom and foolishness, faith and doubt, courage and cowardice, obedience and rebellion, hope and despair are enacted throughout the narratives of Scripture. When authors write and put their ideas into words, they have many choices to make, which include: words, sounds, logic, and sentence structures. These smaller stories are written in different "literary genres.". 2. The Object of Study: A Literary Text. 1 Kings 4:29-34; Job 12:12). The protagonists values, the roles he or she fills, and the way he or she faces conflicts are important themes in heroic narrative. Apocalyptic literature appears in parts of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zechariah as well as extrabiblical books dating from about 200 B.C. 6 MAIN LITERARY GENRES IN THE BIBLE 1. Some verses are made of three, four, and even five lines, and the parallelism can extend throughout. The three dominant literary types in this book are apocalypse, prophecy, and epistle. The action moves slowly in the poetic section, and the reader is expected to concentrate more on the development of the imagery and the concepts than on the sequence of events. 4:19; 9:1, 2, 10; 13:17; 14:17) and authored the longest book in the Bible (apart from the Psalms), the book of Jeremiah. The parable of the vineyard owner (Mark 12:1-11) is closer to an allegory, because it has a number of details that have corresponding conceptual meaning. While parables use realistic imagery, allegories often use words in a figurative rather than literal sense. These writers expressed t. Joseph, Abagail, Solomon, and Daniel are examples of those who possessed prudence and wisdom. What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; and what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten (Joel 1:4; cf. Throw it to the potter--that princely price they set on me. The earthly tabernacle was a copy and shadow of the heavenly things (Heb. 1:1). Each biblical book uses a combination of all the literary styles to make its unique contribution to the story of the Bible. A flea? (1 Sam. 6:34). 25:25). 4), woe oracles (e.g., Mic. 3:5- 6). While the story in a parable is not historical, it is true to life, not a fairy tale. Why was the Bible written in different styles? Parables have one central point; the details are not meant to call attention to themselves but to reinforce this single theme. 2:8-17; 7:10-13). Apostrophe is a figure of speech in which an exclamation is addressed to an object as if it were a person. As soon as David caught the parable, he was caught by it. Formal or informal, they all bear the mark of apostolic authority. the blessings and cursings of Deuteronomy 27-28). For example, when the Bible says that God "shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge" ( Psalm 91:4 ), it's imperative to understand that poetic language is being used, and not historical narrative. Sinai. Other biblical examples of tragic narrative are Adam and Eve (Gen. 3), Saul (1 Sam. The epistles also enhance their persuasiveness through passages written in an exalted style (see 1 Cor. What are the 6 types of literature in the Bible? 7:1- 10). Abstract. So [Ishbosheth] said to Abner, Why have you gone in to my fathers concubine? (2 Sam. They combine to tell us that our brief earthly existence is not all there is; we must live in the light of who we are (creation) and where we are going (consummation). The account extolls the mighty acts of God, not Moses, and focuses more on moral and spiritual values than on human accomplishments. Some are formal in nature (e.g., Romans and Hebrews), while others are quite personal (e.g., 2 Corinthians, 2 Timothy, and Philemon). ESV Bibles. A lament is an expression of grief or mourning, and is often found in the form of a song or poem. If you believe that the posting of any material infringes your copyright, be sure to contact us through the contact form and your material will be removed! Paul's thoughts were organized and systematic. Answer. In Matthew, Jesus primarily speaks sermons. Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! 5:19-25), 5. 13:21-22) symbolized Gods glory and presence among His people. Here are some of the more commonly used literary devices found in Scripture: Acrostic This is true because ancient cultures were predominantly oral cultures in which information circulated chiefly by word of mouth. Soul is used for the whole person. English Abstract. The Bible's Genres. The words was and Ishbosheth are italicized in the translation because they are not in the Hebrew text. This is not the only place in which to locate the academic study of the . Narrative/ historical The Bible contains narrative throughout most of its books. But the Scriptures reserve the highest praise for the Lord. Nor sits in the seat of the scornful (Ps. Related Topics: Bibliology (The Written Word), Dr. Boa is the President of Reflections Ministries and Trinity House Publishers. The bulk is forthtelling, or spiritual insight: exhortation, reproof, and instruction. The following missteps are provided in Plummer's 40 Questions About Interpreting the Bible: The daughters of Israel were simply all of the women who were of Israeli descent. The Song of Solomon describes the experience of love by praising the beauty and virtue of the beloved through natural and rustic images (see Song of Sol. Reading the Bible wisely requires that we learn about the ancient literary styles used by the biblical authors. Think of things like satire websites or fake news. Why is it important to understand context when you are reading, hearing, or seeing something? - John Livingston Lowes. Proverbs are practical and concise; they are meant to be read slowly in small sections. In the footsteps of analogical scholars before him, Burridge considers the NT Gospels as examples of the Greco-Roman bioi (singular, the bios) form of literature. 40:15). In a synecdoche, a part is used for a whole, or a whole is used for a part. There were many other books being written at that time. Did Saul literally clothe every individual one of those daughters in scarlet and gold? Poetry. Tim and Jon discuss the big three of literary styles employed in the Bible: Narrative, Poetry, & Prose-Discourse. So in order to be confident that you are fully grasping a passage, you need to understand these genres and devices. The proverb is a special feature of wisdom literature because it uses a comparison or simple illustration to make a poignant observation about life. Literary Styles in the Bible. Structure and Literary Form: An overview of the literary structure and rhetorical style adopted by the biblical author, highlighting how these features contribute to the communication of the main idea of the passage. Chiasmus is just one of the many, many literary techniques found in the Bible. The poetry of the Bible is an effective vehicle for communicating the full range of human emotions from the heights of joy to the depths of despair. On rare occasions, the New Testament allegorizes Old Testament narratives that were not intended to teach truth by correspondence. Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up (John 11:11). Narrative, or story, is the most common literary form in the Bible. 24:27). From which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place (Acts 1:25). Explain and demonstrate that the scriptures contain many different kinds of literary forms and language usage, some of which are described below. All we like sheep have gone astray (Isa. Those who were privileged to hear these words were astonished at His teaching (Matt. For example, Shakespeares Macbeth will not read the same as Henry David Thoreaus essay, Walden, and Steinbecks novel, Of Mice and Men, will not sound anything like Robert Frosts poem, The Road Not Taken. While there is some meter in biblical poetry, it is not a major characteristic. You most likely know that you cant read a sonnet the same way you read a novel. As in the Old Testament stories, we find a preference for brevity, realism, dialogue, and drama, all serving a simple, unembellished story. In hyperbole, the writer or speaker exaggerates to create a strong effect. The Revelation makes abundant use of Old Testament imagery and ties together many biblical thematic strands into a great portrait of the consummation of all things. Thus, Matthew is priestly, like an ox. The prologue (chapters 1-2) and the epilogue (42:7-17) are written in prose, and the rest of the book is in the form of a poetic dialogue. The apostle Paul was also a skillful and effective orator. Though they are full of biographical material, the gospels are really thematic portraits of the God-man, taken from four different perspectives. the bible contains historical literature (1 and 2 kings), dramatic literature (job), legal documents (much of exodus and deuteronomy), song lyrics (the song of solomon and psalms), poetry (most of isaiah), wisdom literature (proverbs and ecclesiastes), apocalyptic literature (revelation and parts of daniel), short story (ruth), sermons (as The literary quality of the epistles does not surface in their form but in the stylistic richness that they exhibit throughout. BibleProject is a nonprofit ed-tech organization and animation studio that produces 100% free Bible videos, podcasts, blogs, classes, and educational Bible resources to help make the biblical story accessible to everyone, everywhere. Many are they who rise up against me (Ps. Enclosed between these two accounts is the stage of human history on which each person must make the choice between one of two destinies: endless separation from God or endless fellowship with God. Beginning in verse 30, Paul moved into the second part of his address, the propositio, or statement of his thesis. What are the 3 genres in the New Testament? Emphasis is gained by a number of techniques that repeat the same word, phrase, or sentence. 1:8). 94:17). Jeremiah 18:18 mentions three classes of spiritual leaders in Hebrew culture: priests, prophets, and the wise (cf. It differs from and complements the Synoptic Gospels by writing style, especially in John 6: 26-59. He was a master of using analogies in nature and human experience to illustrate His teachings. In the Bible, understanding literary genres or literary styles is key to interpreting what you're reading. The bulk of the seventeen prophetic books in the Old Testament apply the standards of the moral law of God to the attitudes and practices of the day (twelve were written before, two during, and three after the exile in Babylon). Also see Deuteronomy 28:3-6; Psalm 22:1; 96:13; 1 Corinthians 13:7. There are general rules to different kinds of literature, rules that must be followed if we hope to accurately interpret what we are reading. 14:14; cf. It is not one book, but rather more like a library of books. The bulk of the more than 600 commandments in the Pentateuch are found in the Book of the Covenant (Exod. There are several excellent examples of oratory in the Scriptures. That the Lord Jesus possessed an unsurpassed oratorical ability is clear from His brief sayings to His extended discourses. See Psalms 8, 19, 29, 33, 36, 103-105, 111, 113, 117, 135, 136, 139, 146-48, and 150. For example, the first and fourth lines and the second and third lines may be parallel as in Proverbs 23:15-16 (cf. 13:33-35) is a similitude, because it is an illustration from everyday life. Both of these narratives blend figurative with literal language since they deal with realms of existence that transcend our experience. They were added to complete the sense of the passage. The genres that you see in the Hebrew Bible can also be found in the literature of Israel's neighbors. While literal meaning refers to the normal or customary usage of a word or expression, figurative meaning refers to a concept which is represented in terms of another. This form has received the name of 'parallelism.' 6-8), Ruth, David (1 Sam. While a parable is an extended simile, an allegory is an extended metaphor. An epic is a long narrative, often written in an elevated poetic style, that combines many episodes. 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