FIGURE 10: LITERARY GENRES IN THE BIBLE Chapter 21 from 40 Questions About Interpreting the Bible GENRE SAMPLE TEXTS Historical Narrative Genesis, Mark “How Do We Identify Literary Genre—And Why Does It Matter?” Genealogy 1 Chronicles 1-9; Mattew 1:1-17 by Dr. Robert Plummer, Southern Seminary Exaggeration/Hyperbole Matthew 5:29-30; 23:24 Prophecy Isaiah; Malachi Upon picking up a new text, a reader will usually quickly identify the genre. That is, the reader will decide (consciously or unconsciously, Poetry Joel; Amos (also prophecy) rightly or wrongly) whether the text is to be understood as fiction or nonfiction, scientific writing or poetry, etc. The accurate Covenant Genesis 17:1-4; Joshua 24:1-28 determination of the genre of a work is essential to its proper interpretation. Proverbs/Wisdom Literature Proverbs, Job Defining “Genre” Psalms and Songs Exodus 15:1-18; Psalms According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, genre is “a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a Letters 1 Corinthians, 2 Peter particular style, form, or content.”1 In this book, of course, we are concerned primarily with literary genres and, more specifically, the Apocalypse Daniel, Revelation literary genres of the Bible. Interpretive Missteps In choosing to express his or her ideas through a particular literary genre, the author submits to a number of shared assumptions Several interpretive dangers lurk in the genre minefield. Three important ones to note are as follows. associated with that genre. For example, if I were to begin a story, “Once upon a time,” I immediately cue my readers that I am going to tell a fairy tale. Such a story likely will have fantastical creatures (e.g., dragons, unicorns), a challenge to be overcome, and a happy ending. 1. Misunderstanding the genre of a work can result in skewed interpretation. Judges 11:39 reports that Jephthah kept the Readers will expect the story to be directed at young children, primarily for the sake of entertainment, but possibly also for moral oath he made to the Lord by sacrificing his daughter. The genre of historical narrative, to which Judges belongs, does not in instruction. and of itself tell us whether the actions reported are good or bad. Additional authorial indications are necessary to let the reader know how the inspired writer assessed the event or person reported. As is clear from the repeated downward spirals Many times every day, we make decisions about how to understand a literary composition based on our unconscious assessment of its of sin in Judges (3:7–16:31), along with the author’s despairing summary statements (17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25), the action of genre. For example, if I receive an envelope in the mail that reads, “MR. PLUMER (note misspelling), YOU MIGHT HAVE JUST WON TEN Jephthah is not to be praised or imitated.3 The assumption that the behaviors of major figures in historical narrative should MILLION DOLLARS!” I realize I am holding some sort of advertisement that has no interest in giving me ten million dollars but rather wants always be copied could result in a horrific application in this case. me to buy something. Likewise, if I receive an official-looking letter from the “Louisville Water Company” that is stamped with red letters, “Final Late Payment Notice,” I understand that important, factual information related to an outstanding debt is in my hand. And when I 2. Mislabeling a biblical genre can be an underhanded way of denying the text’s truthfulness. It is not uncommon to drive home, I realize that the sign that says, “Speed Limit 35” is not simply to decorate the roadside or to offer a suggestion but is, in fact, a encounter prominent religious experts in the media who assure us that large portions of the Bible should be understood as legally binding notice. myth rather than historical narrative.4 That is, the texts should not be understood as reporting factual historical information but as painting mythological pictures to inspire or challenge us. Such a claim, however, denies clear authorial indications to Identifying the Genre of Biblical Writings 5 In everyday life we become familiar with the genres we encounter. Initially, the advertisement letter described above might have excited us the contrary (e.g., Luke 1:1–4), as well as extrabiblical evidence that confirms the historicity of the Bible’s contents. to the possibility of winning ten million dollars, but after several years of failed entries, we come to recognize the true genre of such Concerning those who labeled the Gospels as myths in his day, renowned author and literary critic C. S. Lewis remarked, materials. Similarly, young children may have trouble distinguishing between the genre of the evening news, a science-fiction movie, and a Whatever these men may be as Biblical critics, I distrust them as critics. They seem to me to lack literary judgement, to documentary. An educated adult, however, should be able not only to recognize a movie as a documentary but also to identify some of the be imperceptive about the very quality of the texts they are reading. It sounds a strange charge to bring against men biases and aims of its producers. who have been steeping in those books all their lives. But that might be just the trouble. A man who has spent his youth Certain books in the Bible are written in genres that are familiar to us, but others are foreign to the modern reader. And even familiar and manhood in the minute study of the New Testament texts and of other people’s studies of them, whose literary genres sometimes include assumptions that the modern reader might not expect. One way to identify the genre of a biblical book is to experience of those texts lack any standard of comparison such as can only grow from a wide and deep and genial read it and note significant literary details and authorial comments that cue the reader as to how it should be understood. For example, the experience of literature in general, is, I should think, very likely to miss the obvious things about them. If he tells me that 2 most common genre in the Bible is historical narrative, which makes up roughly 60 percent of its contents. The biblical genre of historical something in a Gospel is legend or romance, I want to know how many legends or romances he has read, how well his narrative is similar to factual historical reporting that we read today in a newspaper or history book. Still, there are a few differences. (1) palate is trained in detecting them by the flavour; not how many years he has spent on that Gospel.6 Biblical historical narratives often are peppered with unfamiliar subgenres, such as genealogies (Matt. 1:1–17), songs (Exod. 15:1–18), proverbs (Matt. 26:52), prophecies (Mark 13:3–37), or covenants (Josh. 24:1–28). (2) Biblical historical narratives generally are not Similarly, it is not uncommon to find scholars who claim that Jonah is a fictitious story. In fact, an elderly colleague of mine concerned with some of the same details that modern readers might wish addressed (for example, strict chronological identification or (now retired) once confided in me that he mentioned to his class that he thought Jonah was fictional. “Afterwards,” the sequencing, biographical details from the entire span of a person’s life, etc.). (3) Biblical historical narratives, while accurate, never claim to professor told me, “a student came up to me and said, ‘Dr. ______, you probably shouldn’t say that publicly. We like you and be objective. The biblical authors have a purpose in writing—to convince the readers of God’s revelatory message and the necessity of want you to keep teaching here.’ ”7 responding to God in repentance, faith, and obedience (e.g., John 20:30–31). See question 22 (“How do we interpret historical narrative?”) for further guidance in interpreting biblical historical narrative. The student’s intuition was correct, for not only does the book of Jonah report persons and places without any fictional artifice, but also Jesus refers to Jonah as a historical figure who was literally and historically inside the belly of a large fish One way to identify and learn about the genres of books in the Bible is to consult a study Bible, commentary, or other theological (Matt. 12:40–41). reference work (see question 13, “What are some helpful books or tools for interpreting the Bible?”). The latter half of this book also will prove helpful, as it provides a brief introduction to various biblical genres and the specific assumptions and caveats we should 3. Principles for interpreting genres can be misused to excuse oneself from the demands of Scripture. Kierkegaard wryly remarked, “Christian scholarship is the human race’s prodigious invention to defend itself against the New Testament, to keep in mind as we approach them. See figure 10 for a list of literary genres found frequently in the Bible and a sampling of books or 8 passages so classified. ensure that one can continue to be a Christian without letting the New Testament come too close.” This cynically delivered truth can prove especially true with the academic application of various interpretive principles related to genre. For example, in considering Matthew 5:42 (“Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you”), the interpreter may rightly note that Jesus’ teaching here is classified as exaggeration. He may go on, then, to note continued on the back..