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THE BIBLE AS LITERATURE
WHAT MAKES UP THE BIBLE?
 The Bible in the West includes the Hebraic
and Christian scriptures, respectively the Old
and New Testaments.
 Jews accept the Old Testament as their
foundational text.
 Christians broaden that outlook to include
both the Old and New Testaments.
• Accepting the scriptures as the revealed word of
the Lord is a matter of faith, and systematic
analysis of the scriptures is theological
interpretation, which results in a code of beliefs
called religion.
1.WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO READ THE BIBLE
“AS LITERATURE”?
 Even if divinely inspired (“The Word
of God) the Bible is still a product of
human beings written for human
audiences.
The book is a collection of writings
produced by real people who lived in
actual historical times.
THE AUTHORS
Came from a variety of social positions
and professions:
Kings
Shepherds
Doctor
A Tax Collector
Fishermen
CONTENTS OF THE BIBLE
--The Bible is the common heritage of us all, whatever our religious beliefs.
--The Bible contains various literary forms written for a variety of purposes:
It contains genealogies, laws, letters, royal decrees, instructions for
building, prayers, proverbial wisdom, prophetic messages, historical
narratives, tribal lists, archival data, ritual regulations, and information
about personal problems
Poetry-Prayers-Short Stories- Novels- Gospels
EACH BIBLE STORY HAS CULTURAL
SIGNIFICANCE
Aeitiological
Charter
Instructional
AEITIOLOGICAL
 Explains how concrete ‘objects’ or
abstract ‘concepts’ that exist in the
world came to be.
 Concrete (Physical) things: Sun, Rain, Bears
 Abstract (Conceptual) things: Justice, Sin,
Shame
CHARTER
 Explains how religious
rites, rituals and
ceremonies came into
existence.
 Marriage
 Bar Mitzvah
 Baptism
 Sacrifice
 Circumcision
INSTRUCTIONAL
 Teaches a community
or individuals how to
behave appropriately
 Obey God
 Obey your elders
 Don’t sleep with your
brother’s wife
 Don’t drink water that
has a dead moose in it
2.WHAT IS THE BIBLE ABOUT?
 The structure
--The Bible as an anthology--a set of
selections produced over a period of
some one thousand years.
*The Old Testament (39 books)
*The New Testament (27 books)
*The Old Testament (39 books)
timeline: creation of the universe and of
mankind to the end of BC
subject: history of Israel
original language: Hebrew
*The New Testament (27 books)
timeline: AD to the end of the world
subject: life of Jesus
original language: Greek
AN OVERVIEW OF THE MAJOR PARTS OF
THE BIBLE--EACH WITH ITS DISTINCTIVE
LITERARY FEATURES:
 OLD TESTAMENT
 Pentateuch
 Historical Books
 Wisdom Books
 Prophetic Books
 NEW TESTAMENT
 The Gospels (Historical and Wisdom)
 Travel Literature (Historical)
 Epistolary Literature (Historical)
 Apocalyptic Literature (Prophetic)
THE PENTATEUCH
 Called the Pentateuch, the first five books of
the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, and Deuteronomy), also called the
Torah by the Jews, contain numerous
literary forms:
 In Genesis, the story of Creation is a literary
catalogue distinguished by classification and
division and by incremental repetition.
 The Pentateuch, continued: contain
numerous literary forms:
 In Genesis Continued: In the first stage or
day of Creation, the narrator recounts that
God created light, divided it from darkness,
and classified the light as day and the
darkness as night.
 The narrator follows the same pattern in
describing subsequent days of Creation.
Accordingly, God separates the earth from
the sea, then creates the respective
creatures dwelling on land and in the
water.
TEST ITEMS/CHARACTERS - OLD TESTAMENT
“Creation” – numbers (next lecture)
“In the Garden”- Adam and Eve
“The First Murder” – Cain and Abel
“The Great Flood” – Noah and symbols
“Babel” – Theme
“Abraham: A Promise and a Test”- Abraham,
Sarah, Hagar, Ishmael, Isaac, Holy
Messenger
TEST ITEMS CONTINUED
 “Jacob”- (also known as Israel), Isaac, Esau
 “Joseph” – Dreams, Joseph, Coat of many
colors
 “Moses: The Calling” – Moses, Aaron,
Burning bush, numbers
 “Moses: Challenging Pharaoh” – the
Plagues, Passover, Red Sea, Miracles in the
Desert
TEST ITEMS
 “Samson”- Samson and Delilah
 “David” – David, Goliath, Bathsheeba
 “Jonah”- Numbers, Symbols,
 “Job”- Theme, Theodicy, Comforters
 “Daniel”- Daniel, Darius, Dreams, Symbols
STORY OF ADAM AND EVE IN THE GARDEN
 Remember to use images-
 Do NOT use many words in your
presentation
ARCHETYPAL MESSAGE/THEME/LESSON
Three Major Themes:
Man can be easily
tempted toward Sin.
Man must know his place
before God and show
appropriate deference
for authority.
Disobedience is
punished!
ARCHETYPAL CHARACTERS
THE HERO, TEMPTRESS,
THE OUTCAST
THE CARETAKER
ARCHETYPAL
IMAGES/SYMBOLS/SETTINGS
 Paradise
• Serpent
• The Apple
CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
 The story of Adam and Eve in
the Garden is Aetiological
helping to explain how sin and
temptation came into the world.
 This is also a charter story that
helps to explain marriage.
 Finally, the story is
instructional in that it teaches
human beings subservience to
God.
“THE GREAT FLOOD”
 Similar to the
Gilgamesh narrative.
 Differs in the
motivation behind the
cause.
 Differs in the
construction.
 The pattern of God’s
judgment and mercy.
GENESIS CONTAINS THE RECURRENT
LITERARY THEME DESCRIBING A
TRIAL OR TEST DURING WHICH THE
CHARACTERS EXERCISE THE VIRTUES
OF FAITH AND OBEDIENCE.
 Noah tested in the flood.
 Abraham tested when God commands him to
sacrifice Isaac.
 As protagonists in the stories of Genesis, the
patriarchs by their trials, sufferings, and
eventual triumph resemble heroes in
literature.
THE TOWER OF BABEL
 Aetiological- And so
Yahweh scattered them
upon the face of the
Earth, and confused their
languages, and they left
off building the city, which
was called Babel
"because Yahweh there
confounded the language
of all the Earth."(Genesis
11:5-8).
 When God speaks in this story, He
uses the phrase, "let us go,"
referencing the trinity (3).
 God says in Genesis 11:6, "If as one
people speaking the same language
they have begun to do this, then
nothing they plan to do will be
impossible for them." (NIV)
 God realizes that when people are
unified in purpose they can accomplish
impossible feats, both noble and
ignoble. This is why unity in the body of
Christ is so important.
 Some scholars
believe that this
marks the point in
history where
God divided the
earth into
separate
continents.
•To build, the people used brick instead of stone
and tar instead of mortar. They used "man-made"
materials, instead of more durable "God-made"
materials. The people were building a monument to
themselves, to call attention to their own abilities
and achievements, instead of giving glory to God.
ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND
ISHMAEL
The Child of Promise
ABRAHAM
 Known called the father of the Jews
and is considered the founder of the
Jewish religion. He was the first to
believe in one all-powerful God instead
of many gods.
 Christians and Muslims also
honor Abraham and trace their belief in
one God back to him.
 Progenitor of the three major Western
Religions.
(These came after Isaac and Ishmael)
ABRAHAM, ISAAC, ISHMAEL
ISHMAEL ISAAC
 Son of Abraham and Hagar
 Known as “the Outcast”
 Muslims believed that he is
the ‘sacrificial’ son as he
was Abraham’s only child
for 13 years.
 Becomes the progenitor of
Arabs and is an ancestor of
Mohammad.
 Son of Abraham and Sarah
 His son is Jacob who will
become known as Israel
and whose 12 sons will
become the 12 tribes of the
Jews.
 Because he was born to a
sterile mother (Sarah) he is
seen as an example of
God’s providing for a
savior.
“JOB”
 Theodicy- The problem of evil. Why does evil
exist in the world? Why do bad things
happen to good people?
 Job’s ‘comforters’- Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar
 Schadenfreude- taking pleasure in the
misfortunes of others.
 God as judge, and the adversary (satan)
THE BOOK OF JOB
 The Book of Job extols an exemplar of
faith and fortitude who is beset by one
misfortune after another.
 Urged by his wife to renounce the Lord,
who is perceived as having unjustly
punished one of his faithful servants,
Job enhances his fortitude and affirms
his faith despite intense suffering.
 Urged by friends to accept blame for the
disasters of his life—thus allowing them to
maintain a sense of order in the universe.
 Calls for a conference with God.
 Gets no answer, but is responded to by
the Lord Himself.
 In the course of suffering, Job becomes
humble, learns the limitations of human
intelligence in probing the mystery of God,
and marvels at the higher wisdom of the
Lord that humankind can never fully
comprehend.
NUMBERS IN THE BIBLE
 Numbers in the Bible have deep spiritual and
symbolic significance.
 Although the books of the Bible have multiple
authors, there seems to be a remarkable
consistency with number symbolism
throughout the Bible from “Genesis” to
“Revelation”
 Numbers reference both Good and Evil.
IMPORTANT RECURRING NUMBERS AND THEIR
MEAINGS IN THE BIBLE
 1-Beginning, First
 2- Witness, Separation
 3- The Godhead,
Trinity
 4- Earth, Creation
 6- Man, Beast, Satan
 7- Perfection,
Completeness
 10- Law, Government,
Restoration
 12- Divine government,
Apostles
 13- Rebellion, apostacy
 30- Consecration,
maturity
 40- Trial, Test,
Probation
 75- Separation,
cleansing
 666- Antichrist, Satan,
the damned triplicate
IMPORTANT RECURRING NUMBERS
THREE- Trinity,
“Let us go” in
Babel, Noah had
3 sons, Jonah in
Fish, 3
comforters, 3
wise men, Jesus
in tomb Peter’s
denial, 3
patriarchs of
 FOUR- Creation,
(Earth, Wind, Fire,
Water) Horsemen
of the Apocalypse,
Gospels
IMPORTANT RECURRING NUMBERS
 SEVEN-
Perfection,
Combination of
God +creation
including
mankind. 7 days
and nights in
Genesis, in
Noah, in
Joseph,7 years
 TEN- 10
commandments,
10 plagues, (10
generations
between Adam
and Noah; Noah
and Abraham.)
IMPORTANT RECURRING NUMBERS
TWELVE- 12
sons of Jacob
(Israel) become
the 12 Tribes of
the Jews, 12
apostles; (12
days of
Christmas).
FORTY- 40 days
and nights of rain,
40 years in the
desert (Israel), 40
days and nights
(Jesus), 40 days
after the
resurrection
before the
ascension.
THE NEW TESTAMENT
BIRTH and NATIVITY
 “Where is he who has been born king?”
MINISTRY and MIRACLES
 “Is this not the Carpenter?”
 “The Sermon on the Mount”
 “Parables”
DEATH AND RESURRECTION
 “Last Days in Jerusalem”
 “The Tomb is Empty”
CHARACTERS FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT
 Jesus- as Man, as God
 Mary- Mother of God
 Joseph- Jesus’ human father
 Herod- tries to kill Jesus
 Peter- denies Jesus at his death
 Judas- betrays Jesus
 Thomas- doubts the resurrection
PARABLES
 Instructional stories meant to reveal a truth or
teach a lesson.
 Sometimes confusing and ambiguous.
 “The Good Samaritan”
 “Prodigal Son”
 “The Great Supper”
 “The Lost Sheep” “The Lost Coin”
HISTORICAL BOOKS
 Among the historical books of the Bible, Samuel,
Kings, and Chronicles predominate.
 They are part of the Jewish scripture called the
Nebim (the prophets)
 Officially in the Jewish tradition there are two
subsections
 The former prophets—from the entrance to
Canaan to the Babylonian captivity.
 The later prophets—Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and
the 12 minor prophets.
 They describing the roles of kings and prophets
among the Chosen People and the evolution of a
nomadic community into a political and military
kingdom in the land of Canaan.
HISTORICAL CONTINUED
 Emphasized are the first monarchies of Saul
and David, the histories of various kings, and
the grandeur of their temporal realms.
 More important is the role of the prophets as
spokespersons of the Lord.
 Inveighing against monarchs and the
people for their periodic lapses in fidelity to
the Lord, the prophets uphold the
expectations of the Lord in the midst of a
community whose majority, at times,
becomes wayward.
LITERARY FORM OF NARRATIVE
 The histories of the kings are presented in
accord with the literary form of the
exemplum, an example or “case study.”
 The kings who are faithful to the Lord thrive,
whereas the unfaithful sovereigns are
punished, even to the extent of being
defeated by their enemies in battle. When
impelled by vainglory and by lusts
(materialistic or carnal), the kings are self-
indulgent.
LITERARY FORM OF NARRATIVE
 In line with the literature of didacticism,
these books teach readers clear-cut lessons
concerning one's relationship with the Lord,
the virtues to be imitated and the vices to be
shunned, the importance of fidelity to the
Lord and his heavenly realm, and the
dangers of inordinate attachment to worldly
pleasures and possessions.
 Thus, the prophets, in contrast to
the kings, are self-disciplined,
abstemious, and humble. Such a
state of purgation and purity
readies them to accept and
disseminate the word of the Lord.
WISDOM BOOKS
 Among the so-called Wisdom Books, the most
often cited are Job, Psalms, Proverbs (also
known as a Book of Wisdom), and The Song of
Songs.
 In the Jewish tradition these are contained in
the Kethubim (the Writings)
 The collective wisdom of these books instructs
people concerning the adversities of life and
the means to withstand and overcome them.
 In short, the Wisdom Books stress fortitude and
faith in the Lord in the present life so that one
may be rewarded.
 In doing so, the Wisdom Books adapt
the overt methods of didactic
literature:
 to highlight exemplars who manifest
faith and fortitude during adversity,
 to dramatize a prayerful relationship
between the people and the Lord,
 to cite aphoristic lore derived from the
experience of generations, and
 Aphoristic – “a concise statement of a
principle or a terse formulation of a truth or
sentiment” (Webster.com).
 to use allegory in highlighting the
interaction of the Lord and humankind.
THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES
 Ecclesiastes 9:11, "I returned, and saw
under the sun, that the race is not to the
swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither
yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to
men of understanding, nor yet favour to
men of skill; but time and chance
happeneth to them all."
THE PSALMS
 “Psalm” is based on the Greek word which
represents the sound of a plucked string.
 Hebrew poetry is not based on strict metrical
pattern alone (as in Greek or Latin) or on
metrical pattern and rhyme (as in English and
other modern languages).
 It works by what is known as “parallelism.”
A first statement is repeated or amplified in
a different form--”The statutes of the Lord
are right, rejoicing the heart:the
commandments of the Lord is
pure,enlightening the eyes” (19:8 KJV)
(Berggren).
PSALMS PSALM 96
 The Psalms, collected into a book or
Psalter, number approximately 150,
including both communal songs and
prayers and individual utterances, often
set to music.
 Like lyrical poetry, which was often sung
or recited to musical accompaniment, the
Psalms manifest a tonal range that
includes primarily praise and gratitude to
the Lord and the self-examination of a
sinner who becomes a penitential
suppliant.
 Since many of the Psalms are attributed to
King David, they are called the Davidic
Psalms (Labriola).

Psalm 117 The Audio Bible King James
THE BOOK OF PROVERBS
 The book is a compilation of gnomes, a word
derived from the Greek “to know.”
 It is presented in the manner of gnomic or
sapiential literature, which is commonplace in
cultures as varied as the Greek and the
Anglo-Saxon,
 the Book of Proverbs provides pithy
summations of wisdom to be imparted to
younger generations.
 As a distillation of the “lessons learned” by
an older and wiser generation, the Book of
Proverbs imparts a philosophy of life, a
perception of one's place in society, and an
outlook on one's relationship to God.
THE SONG
OF SONGS
 Also called the Song of Solomon and the
Canticle of Canticles.
 The text features a loving relationship,
including courtship and marriage, between
a bridegroom and his wife.
 Though attributed to Solomon and
interpreted as his wedding song to his
beloved, the Song of Songs is more often
perceived by Christian commentators as
allegorical literature.
 Especially through lyricism, drama, and
dialogue, the work suggest various
interrelationships (Labriola):
 God and His People (or one soul)
 Jesus and His Church
 Christ and his mother Mary
 The description of the beloved “to a
company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots”
(Chap. 1).
 Robert Alter clarifies this perplexing
reference: “a mare in heat, let loose
among chariotry, could transform well-
drawn battle lines into a chaos of widely
plunging stallions.”
 The male celebration of female sexuality
as landscape is familiar to readers of later
love poems.
 However, the Song of Songs is also
remarkable for the frequency with which
PROPHETIC BOOKS
 The term “prophet” is derived from a
Greek word meaning “to speak on
behalf of” (Britannica).
 The prophets were ancient Israelites
who spoke to the nation on behalf of
God. In other words, they were
preachers.
 Their purpose was not, as is often
mistakenly assumed, to foretell the
future.
 The prophets were men who interpreted
Israel's behavior in the light of God's
laws and frequently found reason to
condemn that behavior.
 The prophets also declared that Israel
would be punished for breaking the
laws.
 A series of national disasters that befell
Israel seemed to prove the merit of the
prophetic warnings:
 Israel was conquered or subjugated in
turn by Assyria, Babylon, Persia,
Greece, and Rome over a period of
seven centuries (Britannica).
THUS, THESE PROPHETIC BOOKS
RECOUNT THE LIVES AND
ACTIVITIES OF MAJOR AND
MINOR PROPHETS WHO WERE.
. .
summoned by God,
received the divine word, and
preached it to the people.
 The literary genre of prophecy,
including the oral traditions and written
narratives of Graeco-Roman and
biblical antiquity, characterizes the
prophets as spokespersons with two
major functions:
(1) to admonish the people against
wrongdoing, usually violations of their
covenant with the deity, and to foretell
punishment if wayward conduct
persisted;
(2) to proclaim the expectations of the
Lord, which the people are urged to
heed.
 In the literary genre of prophecy, prophets
typically received communication from God
through dream-visions and trances.
 Unaware of their surroundings and
impervious to external stimuli, prophets
became more attentive to divine
communication.
 Characterized as zealots who were
abstemious and at times ascetic, prophets
renounced the temptations of worldliness
and carnalism, purifying themselves to
become fit vessels to receive and
disseminate the divine word.
 Isaiah, in fact, cleansed his lips with a
 As they inveighed against wayward rulers of the
Israelites or against the people at large, the
prophets often jeopardized their physical well-being
while they served as divine spokesmen.
 Whether imprisoned, persecuted, or martyred, the
prophets were resolute in their faith in God and in their
steadfast service,
 This passion derived, in part, from the dramatic manner in
which prophets were summoned to their ministry, which
often led to their ardent zeal reflected in denunciations of
wrongdoing, in dire predictions of the imminent wrath of
the Lord, and in vivid descriptions of the torment of
everlasting damnation.
 The preaching of Jeremiah, notably mournful in his
lamentations and fierce in prophesying the Lord's wrath,
gave rise to the term “jeremiad,” a diatribe often couched
as a sermon admonishing sinners that their souls will be
in the hands of an angry God (Labriola).
THE BOOK OF JONAH
 Jonah also spelled “Jonas,” the fifth of
12 Old Testament books that bear the
names of the Minor Prophets, embraced in
a single book, The Twelve, in the Jewish
canon.
 Unlike other Old Testament prophetic
books, Jonah is not a collection of the
prophet's oracles but primarily a narrative
about the man. (similar to the patriarch
narratives).
 Jonah is portrayed as a recalcitrant
prophet who flees from God's summons to
 Like Odysseus, Jonah is a reluctant traveler
who takes refuge in sleep.
 Ancient writers use symbolic details like this to
suggest delicate psychological states of mind
(Berggren).
 A clear example of a travel archetype.
 Go a great distance to the edge.
 Come back with a new understanding.
Jonah is willing to obey
Jonah learns that his ways are not
God’s.
 According to the opening verse, Jonah is the son
of Amittai.
 This lineage identifies him with the Jonah
mentioned in II Kings 14:25 who prophesied
during the reign of Jeroboam II, about 785 BC.
 It is possible that some of the traditional
materials taken over by the book were
associated with Jonah at an early date, but the
book in its present form reflects a much later
composition.
 It was written after the Babylonian Exile (6th
century BC), probably in the 5th or 4th century
and certainly no later than the 3rd, since Jonah is
listed among the Minor Prophets in the
apocryphal book of Ecclesiasticus, composed
about 190.
 Like the “Book of Ruth,” which was written at
about the same period, “Jonah” opposes the
narrow Jewish nationalism characteristic of the
period following the reforms of Ezra and
Nehemiah with their emphasis on Jewish
exclusivity.
 Thus the prophet Jonah, like the Jews of the day,
abhors even the idea of salvation for the Gentiles.
 God chastises him for his attitude, and the book
affirms that God's mercy extends even to the
inhabitants of a hated foreign city.
 The incident of the great fish, recalling Leviathan,
the monster of the deep used elsewhere in the
Old Testament as the embodiment of evil,
symbolizes the nation's exile and return.
WORKS CITED
Berggren, Paula. Teaching With the Norton
Anthology of World Literature Vols. A-C. New York:
Norton, 2002.
Cauthron “What the SNU Religion Department
Believes and Teaches” What SNU Teaches.
http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/dept.htm (13 Sept.
2005).
Fairchild, Mary The Tower of Bable –Story
Summary” About.com Christianity 19 Sept. 2010
<http://christianity.about.com/od/biblestorysummari
es/p/towerofbabel.htm>
"Jonah, Book of." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2005.
Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition.
20 Sept. 2005 <http://school.eb.com/eb/article-
9043916>.
WORKS CITED CONTINUED
Labriola, Albert “The Bible as Literature”
The Literary Encyclopedia. (16 June
2003)
http://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?r
ec=true&UID=1283 (13 Sept. 2005).
Walton, John H. "Is there Archaeological
Evidence of the Tower of Babel?"
Christians Answers. 19 Spt. 2010
<http://www.christiananswers.net/q-
abr/abr-a021.html>
HISTORICALLY ACCURATE?
 "Are the individuals mentioned in the Old
Testament (such as Adam, Eve, Noah, Jonah,
Job, David, and Solomon) real people or just
allegories for teaching principles?"
• Scripture everywhere speaks of them as real
people. Archaeological exploration in the
Middle East have pointed increasingly to many
identifiable parallels (names, places, artifacts,
and texts) with things in the Bible. These
parallels give warrant for accepting the
actuality of persons named in the Old
Testament (Cauthron).
 Remember, however, their importance is not
determined by their historical but spiritual reality.
A GOOD WAY TO DESCRIBE THESE TEXTS IS
TO CALL THEM "PRIMEVAL NARRATIVES /
TRADITIONS"
“These stories focus on events that took
place long before humanity began to
document its history and civilization.. . .
These chapters contain narratives about
the world out of which Israel's ancestor
Abraham came to follow God's call."
Discovering the Old Testament 62).
"CAN YOU REALLY DIMINISH THE HISTORICAL
LEGITIMACY OF ANY BIBLICAL CHARACTER
WITHOUT ALSO DIMINISHING THE THEOLOGICAL
LEGITIMACY OF THE LESSONS THAT CHARACTER
CONVEYS?"
This question appears to assume that historical
veracity is the complete measure of all truth. To
say it another way: It takes the affirmation "If it is
historical, it is true" and turns it into the statement
"If it is true, it is historical."
Yet, one must ask how we usually understand
Jesus' parables in the gospels. Must we hold that
Jesus referred to a specific, living individual when
he spoke about a farmer, a land owner, a wife
making bread, a pearl merchant, a father who
divided his possessions (see Matthew 13 and
Luke 15)?
• The theological truth of a parable is not
lessened, or made any less legitimate,
when we assume that these were stories of
what might happen rather than specific
reports of what actually transpired in
someone's life.
• In fact, Biblical interpreters through the
centuries have argued that the father in the
prodigal son parable would not have been
a real Jewish father in Jesus' day. In that
culture, a father would not be so foolish as
to do what the younger son asked,
because the request was an insult to the
father. Yet, these same interpreters have
spoken at length about the message and
meaning of the parable with regard to
Jesus' emphasis upon God as Father.
TO RETURN TO THE QUESTION: TO
"DIMINISH THE HISTORICAL LEGITIMACY"
OF A CHARACTER IN THE BIBLE MAY
UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMACY OF THE
THEOLOGICAL AFFIRMATIONS ASSOCIATED
WITH THAT CHARACTER'S STORY, BUT NOT
NECESSARILY IN EVERY INSTANCE.

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The Bible as Literature.ppt

  • 1. THE BIBLE AS LITERATURE
  • 2. WHAT MAKES UP THE BIBLE?  The Bible in the West includes the Hebraic and Christian scriptures, respectively the Old and New Testaments.  Jews accept the Old Testament as their foundational text.  Christians broaden that outlook to include both the Old and New Testaments.
  • 3. • Accepting the scriptures as the revealed word of the Lord is a matter of faith, and systematic analysis of the scriptures is theological interpretation, which results in a code of beliefs called religion.
  • 4. 1.WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO READ THE BIBLE “AS LITERATURE”?  Even if divinely inspired (“The Word of God) the Bible is still a product of human beings written for human audiences. The book is a collection of writings produced by real people who lived in actual historical times.
  • 5. THE AUTHORS Came from a variety of social positions and professions: Kings Shepherds Doctor A Tax Collector Fishermen
  • 6. CONTENTS OF THE BIBLE --The Bible is the common heritage of us all, whatever our religious beliefs. --The Bible contains various literary forms written for a variety of purposes: It contains genealogies, laws, letters, royal decrees, instructions for building, prayers, proverbial wisdom, prophetic messages, historical narratives, tribal lists, archival data, ritual regulations, and information about personal problems Poetry-Prayers-Short Stories- Novels- Gospels
  • 7. EACH BIBLE STORY HAS CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE Aeitiological Charter Instructional
  • 8. AEITIOLOGICAL  Explains how concrete ‘objects’ or abstract ‘concepts’ that exist in the world came to be.  Concrete (Physical) things: Sun, Rain, Bears  Abstract (Conceptual) things: Justice, Sin, Shame
  • 9. CHARTER  Explains how religious rites, rituals and ceremonies came into existence.  Marriage  Bar Mitzvah  Baptism  Sacrifice  Circumcision
  • 10. INSTRUCTIONAL  Teaches a community or individuals how to behave appropriately  Obey God  Obey your elders  Don’t sleep with your brother’s wife  Don’t drink water that has a dead moose in it
  • 11. 2.WHAT IS THE BIBLE ABOUT?  The structure --The Bible as an anthology--a set of selections produced over a period of some one thousand years. *The Old Testament (39 books) *The New Testament (27 books)
  • 12. *The Old Testament (39 books) timeline: creation of the universe and of mankind to the end of BC subject: history of Israel original language: Hebrew *The New Testament (27 books) timeline: AD to the end of the world subject: life of Jesus original language: Greek
  • 13. AN OVERVIEW OF THE MAJOR PARTS OF THE BIBLE--EACH WITH ITS DISTINCTIVE LITERARY FEATURES:  OLD TESTAMENT  Pentateuch  Historical Books  Wisdom Books  Prophetic Books
  • 14.  NEW TESTAMENT  The Gospels (Historical and Wisdom)  Travel Literature (Historical)  Epistolary Literature (Historical)  Apocalyptic Literature (Prophetic)
  • 15. THE PENTATEUCH  Called the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), also called the Torah by the Jews, contain numerous literary forms:  In Genesis, the story of Creation is a literary catalogue distinguished by classification and division and by incremental repetition.
  • 16.  The Pentateuch, continued: contain numerous literary forms:  In Genesis Continued: In the first stage or day of Creation, the narrator recounts that God created light, divided it from darkness, and classified the light as day and the darkness as night.  The narrator follows the same pattern in describing subsequent days of Creation. Accordingly, God separates the earth from the sea, then creates the respective creatures dwelling on land and in the water.
  • 17. TEST ITEMS/CHARACTERS - OLD TESTAMENT “Creation” – numbers (next lecture) “In the Garden”- Adam and Eve “The First Murder” – Cain and Abel “The Great Flood” – Noah and symbols “Babel” – Theme “Abraham: A Promise and a Test”- Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Ishmael, Isaac, Holy Messenger
  • 18. TEST ITEMS CONTINUED  “Jacob”- (also known as Israel), Isaac, Esau  “Joseph” – Dreams, Joseph, Coat of many colors  “Moses: The Calling” – Moses, Aaron, Burning bush, numbers  “Moses: Challenging Pharaoh” – the Plagues, Passover, Red Sea, Miracles in the Desert
  • 19. TEST ITEMS  “Samson”- Samson and Delilah  “David” – David, Goliath, Bathsheeba  “Jonah”- Numbers, Symbols,  “Job”- Theme, Theodicy, Comforters  “Daniel”- Daniel, Darius, Dreams, Symbols
  • 20. STORY OF ADAM AND EVE IN THE GARDEN  Remember to use images-  Do NOT use many words in your presentation
  • 21. ARCHETYPAL MESSAGE/THEME/LESSON Three Major Themes: Man can be easily tempted toward Sin. Man must know his place before God and show appropriate deference for authority. Disobedience is punished!
  • 22. ARCHETYPAL CHARACTERS THE HERO, TEMPTRESS, THE OUTCAST THE CARETAKER
  • 24. CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE  The story of Adam and Eve in the Garden is Aetiological helping to explain how sin and temptation came into the world.  This is also a charter story that helps to explain marriage.  Finally, the story is instructional in that it teaches human beings subservience to God.
  • 25. “THE GREAT FLOOD”  Similar to the Gilgamesh narrative.  Differs in the motivation behind the cause.  Differs in the construction.  The pattern of God’s judgment and mercy.
  • 26. GENESIS CONTAINS THE RECURRENT LITERARY THEME DESCRIBING A TRIAL OR TEST DURING WHICH THE CHARACTERS EXERCISE THE VIRTUES OF FAITH AND OBEDIENCE.  Noah tested in the flood.  Abraham tested when God commands him to sacrifice Isaac.  As protagonists in the stories of Genesis, the patriarchs by their trials, sufferings, and eventual triumph resemble heroes in literature.
  • 27. THE TOWER OF BABEL  Aetiological- And so Yahweh scattered them upon the face of the Earth, and confused their languages, and they left off building the city, which was called Babel "because Yahweh there confounded the language of all the Earth."(Genesis 11:5-8).
  • 28.  When God speaks in this story, He uses the phrase, "let us go," referencing the trinity (3).  God says in Genesis 11:6, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them." (NIV)  God realizes that when people are unified in purpose they can accomplish impossible feats, both noble and ignoble. This is why unity in the body of Christ is so important.
  • 29.  Some scholars believe that this marks the point in history where God divided the earth into separate continents. •To build, the people used brick instead of stone and tar instead of mortar. They used "man-made" materials, instead of more durable "God-made" materials. The people were building a monument to themselves, to call attention to their own abilities and achievements, instead of giving glory to God.
  • 31. ABRAHAM  Known called the father of the Jews and is considered the founder of the Jewish religion. He was the first to believe in one all-powerful God instead of many gods.  Christians and Muslims also honor Abraham and trace their belief in one God back to him.  Progenitor of the three major Western Religions.
  • 32. (These came after Isaac and Ishmael)
  • 33. ABRAHAM, ISAAC, ISHMAEL ISHMAEL ISAAC  Son of Abraham and Hagar  Known as “the Outcast”  Muslims believed that he is the ‘sacrificial’ son as he was Abraham’s only child for 13 years.  Becomes the progenitor of Arabs and is an ancestor of Mohammad.  Son of Abraham and Sarah  His son is Jacob who will become known as Israel and whose 12 sons will become the 12 tribes of the Jews.  Because he was born to a sterile mother (Sarah) he is seen as an example of God’s providing for a savior.
  • 34. “JOB”  Theodicy- The problem of evil. Why does evil exist in the world? Why do bad things happen to good people?  Job’s ‘comforters’- Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar  Schadenfreude- taking pleasure in the misfortunes of others.  God as judge, and the adversary (satan)
  • 35. THE BOOK OF JOB  The Book of Job extols an exemplar of faith and fortitude who is beset by one misfortune after another.  Urged by his wife to renounce the Lord, who is perceived as having unjustly punished one of his faithful servants, Job enhances his fortitude and affirms his faith despite intense suffering.
  • 36.  Urged by friends to accept blame for the disasters of his life—thus allowing them to maintain a sense of order in the universe.  Calls for a conference with God.  Gets no answer, but is responded to by the Lord Himself.  In the course of suffering, Job becomes humble, learns the limitations of human intelligence in probing the mystery of God, and marvels at the higher wisdom of the Lord that humankind can never fully comprehend.
  • 37. NUMBERS IN THE BIBLE  Numbers in the Bible have deep spiritual and symbolic significance.  Although the books of the Bible have multiple authors, there seems to be a remarkable consistency with number symbolism throughout the Bible from “Genesis” to “Revelation”  Numbers reference both Good and Evil.
  • 38. IMPORTANT RECURRING NUMBERS AND THEIR MEAINGS IN THE BIBLE  1-Beginning, First  2- Witness, Separation  3- The Godhead, Trinity  4- Earth, Creation  6- Man, Beast, Satan  7- Perfection, Completeness  10- Law, Government, Restoration  12- Divine government, Apostles  13- Rebellion, apostacy  30- Consecration, maturity  40- Trial, Test, Probation  75- Separation, cleansing  666- Antichrist, Satan, the damned triplicate
  • 39. IMPORTANT RECURRING NUMBERS THREE- Trinity, “Let us go” in Babel, Noah had 3 sons, Jonah in Fish, 3 comforters, 3 wise men, Jesus in tomb Peter’s denial, 3 patriarchs of  FOUR- Creation, (Earth, Wind, Fire, Water) Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Gospels
  • 40. IMPORTANT RECURRING NUMBERS  SEVEN- Perfection, Combination of God +creation including mankind. 7 days and nights in Genesis, in Noah, in Joseph,7 years  TEN- 10 commandments, 10 plagues, (10 generations between Adam and Noah; Noah and Abraham.)
  • 41. IMPORTANT RECURRING NUMBERS TWELVE- 12 sons of Jacob (Israel) become the 12 Tribes of the Jews, 12 apostles; (12 days of Christmas). FORTY- 40 days and nights of rain, 40 years in the desert (Israel), 40 days and nights (Jesus), 40 days after the resurrection before the ascension.
  • 42. THE NEW TESTAMENT BIRTH and NATIVITY  “Where is he who has been born king?” MINISTRY and MIRACLES  “Is this not the Carpenter?”  “The Sermon on the Mount”  “Parables” DEATH AND RESURRECTION  “Last Days in Jerusalem”  “The Tomb is Empty”
  • 43. CHARACTERS FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT  Jesus- as Man, as God  Mary- Mother of God  Joseph- Jesus’ human father  Herod- tries to kill Jesus  Peter- denies Jesus at his death  Judas- betrays Jesus  Thomas- doubts the resurrection
  • 44. PARABLES  Instructional stories meant to reveal a truth or teach a lesson.  Sometimes confusing and ambiguous.  “The Good Samaritan”  “Prodigal Son”  “The Great Supper”  “The Lost Sheep” “The Lost Coin”
  • 45. HISTORICAL BOOKS  Among the historical books of the Bible, Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles predominate.  They are part of the Jewish scripture called the Nebim (the prophets)  Officially in the Jewish tradition there are two subsections  The former prophets—from the entrance to Canaan to the Babylonian captivity.  The later prophets—Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the 12 minor prophets.  They describing the roles of kings and prophets among the Chosen People and the evolution of a nomadic community into a political and military kingdom in the land of Canaan.
  • 46. HISTORICAL CONTINUED  Emphasized are the first monarchies of Saul and David, the histories of various kings, and the grandeur of their temporal realms.  More important is the role of the prophets as spokespersons of the Lord.  Inveighing against monarchs and the people for their periodic lapses in fidelity to the Lord, the prophets uphold the expectations of the Lord in the midst of a community whose majority, at times, becomes wayward.
  • 47. LITERARY FORM OF NARRATIVE  The histories of the kings are presented in accord with the literary form of the exemplum, an example or “case study.”  The kings who are faithful to the Lord thrive, whereas the unfaithful sovereigns are punished, even to the extent of being defeated by their enemies in battle. When impelled by vainglory and by lusts (materialistic or carnal), the kings are self- indulgent.
  • 48. LITERARY FORM OF NARRATIVE  In line with the literature of didacticism, these books teach readers clear-cut lessons concerning one's relationship with the Lord, the virtues to be imitated and the vices to be shunned, the importance of fidelity to the Lord and his heavenly realm, and the dangers of inordinate attachment to worldly pleasures and possessions.
  • 49.  Thus, the prophets, in contrast to the kings, are self-disciplined, abstemious, and humble. Such a state of purgation and purity readies them to accept and disseminate the word of the Lord.
  • 50. WISDOM BOOKS  Among the so-called Wisdom Books, the most often cited are Job, Psalms, Proverbs (also known as a Book of Wisdom), and The Song of Songs.  In the Jewish tradition these are contained in the Kethubim (the Writings)  The collective wisdom of these books instructs people concerning the adversities of life and the means to withstand and overcome them.  In short, the Wisdom Books stress fortitude and faith in the Lord in the present life so that one may be rewarded.
  • 51.  In doing so, the Wisdom Books adapt the overt methods of didactic literature:  to highlight exemplars who manifest faith and fortitude during adversity,  to dramatize a prayerful relationship between the people and the Lord,  to cite aphoristic lore derived from the experience of generations, and  Aphoristic – “a concise statement of a principle or a terse formulation of a truth or sentiment” (Webster.com).  to use allegory in highlighting the interaction of the Lord and humankind.
  • 52. THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES  Ecclesiastes 9:11, "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all."
  • 53. THE PSALMS  “Psalm” is based on the Greek word which represents the sound of a plucked string.  Hebrew poetry is not based on strict metrical pattern alone (as in Greek or Latin) or on metrical pattern and rhyme (as in English and other modern languages).  It works by what is known as “parallelism.” A first statement is repeated or amplified in a different form--”The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart:the commandments of the Lord is pure,enlightening the eyes” (19:8 KJV) (Berggren).
  • 55.  The Psalms, collected into a book or Psalter, number approximately 150, including both communal songs and prayers and individual utterances, often set to music.  Like lyrical poetry, which was often sung or recited to musical accompaniment, the Psalms manifest a tonal range that includes primarily praise and gratitude to the Lord and the self-examination of a sinner who becomes a penitential suppliant.  Since many of the Psalms are attributed to King David, they are called the Davidic Psalms (Labriola).  Psalm 117 The Audio Bible King James
  • 56. THE BOOK OF PROVERBS  The book is a compilation of gnomes, a word derived from the Greek “to know.”  It is presented in the manner of gnomic or sapiential literature, which is commonplace in cultures as varied as the Greek and the Anglo-Saxon,  the Book of Proverbs provides pithy summations of wisdom to be imparted to younger generations.  As a distillation of the “lessons learned” by an older and wiser generation, the Book of Proverbs imparts a philosophy of life, a perception of one's place in society, and an outlook on one's relationship to God.
  • 57. THE SONG OF SONGS  Also called the Song of Solomon and the Canticle of Canticles.  The text features a loving relationship, including courtship and marriage, between a bridegroom and his wife.  Though attributed to Solomon and interpreted as his wedding song to his beloved, the Song of Songs is more often perceived by Christian commentators as allegorical literature.  Especially through lyricism, drama, and dialogue, the work suggest various interrelationships (Labriola):  God and His People (or one soul)  Jesus and His Church  Christ and his mother Mary
  • 58.  The description of the beloved “to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots” (Chap. 1).  Robert Alter clarifies this perplexing reference: “a mare in heat, let loose among chariotry, could transform well- drawn battle lines into a chaos of widely plunging stallions.”  The male celebration of female sexuality as landscape is familiar to readers of later love poems.  However, the Song of Songs is also remarkable for the frequency with which
  • 59. PROPHETIC BOOKS  The term “prophet” is derived from a Greek word meaning “to speak on behalf of” (Britannica).  The prophets were ancient Israelites who spoke to the nation on behalf of God. In other words, they were preachers.  Their purpose was not, as is often mistakenly assumed, to foretell the future.
  • 60.  The prophets were men who interpreted Israel's behavior in the light of God's laws and frequently found reason to condemn that behavior.  The prophets also declared that Israel would be punished for breaking the laws.  A series of national disasters that befell Israel seemed to prove the merit of the prophetic warnings:  Israel was conquered or subjugated in turn by Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome over a period of seven centuries (Britannica).
  • 61. THUS, THESE PROPHETIC BOOKS RECOUNT THE LIVES AND ACTIVITIES OF MAJOR AND MINOR PROPHETS WHO WERE. . . summoned by God, received the divine word, and preached it to the people.
  • 62.  The literary genre of prophecy, including the oral traditions and written narratives of Graeco-Roman and biblical antiquity, characterizes the prophets as spokespersons with two major functions: (1) to admonish the people against wrongdoing, usually violations of their covenant with the deity, and to foretell punishment if wayward conduct persisted; (2) to proclaim the expectations of the Lord, which the people are urged to heed.
  • 63.  In the literary genre of prophecy, prophets typically received communication from God through dream-visions and trances.  Unaware of their surroundings and impervious to external stimuli, prophets became more attentive to divine communication.  Characterized as zealots who were abstemious and at times ascetic, prophets renounced the temptations of worldliness and carnalism, purifying themselves to become fit vessels to receive and disseminate the divine word.  Isaiah, in fact, cleansed his lips with a
  • 64.  As they inveighed against wayward rulers of the Israelites or against the people at large, the prophets often jeopardized their physical well-being while they served as divine spokesmen.  Whether imprisoned, persecuted, or martyred, the prophets were resolute in their faith in God and in their steadfast service,  This passion derived, in part, from the dramatic manner in which prophets were summoned to their ministry, which often led to their ardent zeal reflected in denunciations of wrongdoing, in dire predictions of the imminent wrath of the Lord, and in vivid descriptions of the torment of everlasting damnation.  The preaching of Jeremiah, notably mournful in his lamentations and fierce in prophesying the Lord's wrath, gave rise to the term “jeremiad,” a diatribe often couched as a sermon admonishing sinners that their souls will be in the hands of an angry God (Labriola).
  • 65. THE BOOK OF JONAH  Jonah also spelled “Jonas,” the fifth of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of the Minor Prophets, embraced in a single book, The Twelve, in the Jewish canon.  Unlike other Old Testament prophetic books, Jonah is not a collection of the prophet's oracles but primarily a narrative about the man. (similar to the patriarch narratives).  Jonah is portrayed as a recalcitrant prophet who flees from God's summons to
  • 66.  Like Odysseus, Jonah is a reluctant traveler who takes refuge in sleep.  Ancient writers use symbolic details like this to suggest delicate psychological states of mind (Berggren).  A clear example of a travel archetype.  Go a great distance to the edge.  Come back with a new understanding. Jonah is willing to obey Jonah learns that his ways are not God’s.
  • 67.  According to the opening verse, Jonah is the son of Amittai.  This lineage identifies him with the Jonah mentioned in II Kings 14:25 who prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II, about 785 BC.  It is possible that some of the traditional materials taken over by the book were associated with Jonah at an early date, but the book in its present form reflects a much later composition.  It was written after the Babylonian Exile (6th century BC), probably in the 5th or 4th century and certainly no later than the 3rd, since Jonah is listed among the Minor Prophets in the apocryphal book of Ecclesiasticus, composed about 190.
  • 68.  Like the “Book of Ruth,” which was written at about the same period, “Jonah” opposes the narrow Jewish nationalism characteristic of the period following the reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah with their emphasis on Jewish exclusivity.  Thus the prophet Jonah, like the Jews of the day, abhors even the idea of salvation for the Gentiles.  God chastises him for his attitude, and the book affirms that God's mercy extends even to the inhabitants of a hated foreign city.  The incident of the great fish, recalling Leviathan, the monster of the deep used elsewhere in the Old Testament as the embodiment of evil, symbolizes the nation's exile and return.
  • 69. WORKS CITED Berggren, Paula. Teaching With the Norton Anthology of World Literature Vols. A-C. New York: Norton, 2002. Cauthron “What the SNU Religion Department Believes and Teaches” What SNU Teaches. http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/dept.htm (13 Sept. 2005). Fairchild, Mary The Tower of Bable –Story Summary” About.com Christianity 19 Sept. 2010 <http://christianity.about.com/od/biblestorysummari es/p/towerofbabel.htm> "Jonah, Book of." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2005. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. 20 Sept. 2005 <http://school.eb.com/eb/article- 9043916>.
  • 70. WORKS CITED CONTINUED Labriola, Albert “The Bible as Literature” The Literary Encyclopedia. (16 June 2003) http://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?r ec=true&UID=1283 (13 Sept. 2005). Walton, John H. "Is there Archaeological Evidence of the Tower of Babel?" Christians Answers. 19 Spt. 2010 <http://www.christiananswers.net/q- abr/abr-a021.html>
  • 71. HISTORICALLY ACCURATE?  "Are the individuals mentioned in the Old Testament (such as Adam, Eve, Noah, Jonah, Job, David, and Solomon) real people or just allegories for teaching principles?" • Scripture everywhere speaks of them as real people. Archaeological exploration in the Middle East have pointed increasingly to many identifiable parallels (names, places, artifacts, and texts) with things in the Bible. These parallels give warrant for accepting the actuality of persons named in the Old Testament (Cauthron).  Remember, however, their importance is not determined by their historical but spiritual reality.
  • 72. A GOOD WAY TO DESCRIBE THESE TEXTS IS TO CALL THEM "PRIMEVAL NARRATIVES / TRADITIONS" “These stories focus on events that took place long before humanity began to document its history and civilization.. . . These chapters contain narratives about the world out of which Israel's ancestor Abraham came to follow God's call." Discovering the Old Testament 62).
  • 73. "CAN YOU REALLY DIMINISH THE HISTORICAL LEGITIMACY OF ANY BIBLICAL CHARACTER WITHOUT ALSO DIMINISHING THE THEOLOGICAL LEGITIMACY OF THE LESSONS THAT CHARACTER CONVEYS?" This question appears to assume that historical veracity is the complete measure of all truth. To say it another way: It takes the affirmation "If it is historical, it is true" and turns it into the statement "If it is true, it is historical." Yet, one must ask how we usually understand Jesus' parables in the gospels. Must we hold that Jesus referred to a specific, living individual when he spoke about a farmer, a land owner, a wife making bread, a pearl merchant, a father who divided his possessions (see Matthew 13 and Luke 15)?
  • 74. • The theological truth of a parable is not lessened, or made any less legitimate, when we assume that these were stories of what might happen rather than specific reports of what actually transpired in someone's life. • In fact, Biblical interpreters through the centuries have argued that the father in the prodigal son parable would not have been a real Jewish father in Jesus' day. In that culture, a father would not be so foolish as to do what the younger son asked, because the request was an insult to the father. Yet, these same interpreters have spoken at length about the message and meaning of the parable with regard to Jesus' emphasis upon God as Father.
  • 75. TO RETURN TO THE QUESTION: TO "DIMINISH THE HISTORICAL LEGITIMACY" OF A CHARACTER IN THE BIBLE MAY UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMACY OF THE THEOLOGICAL AFFIRMATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT CHARACTER'S STORY, BUT NOT NECESSARILY IN EVERY INSTANCE.