Imagine holding a science textbook, a newspaper, and a breathtaking poem - do you approach reading each of them the same way? Absolutely not, because they're different genres! The Bible also contains an incredible variety of genres, and in today's episode, your host will guide you through the captivating world of biblical genres including narrative, law, wisdom, poetry, prophecy, and more.
Don't miss out on this enlightening exploration - subscribe or follow the Bible Basics Podcast and share it with a friend!
Thank you for tuning in! Bible Basics is now streaming on Youtube. Please subscribe now!
Imagine holding a science textbook, a newspaper, and a breathtaking poem - do you approach reading each of them the same way? Absolutely not, because they're different genres! The Bible also contains an incredible variety of genres, and in today's episode, your host will guide you through the captivating world of biblical genres including narrative, law, wisdom, poetry, prophecy, and more.
Don't miss out on this enlightening exploration - subscribe or follow the Bible Basics Podcast and share it with a friend!
Thank you for tuning in! Bible Basics is now streaming on Youtube. Please subscribe now!
Note: All scripture references are from the NIV translation unless otherwise indicated.
Jacqui Adewole:
Close your eyes and picture this. You're holding a science textbook, the front page of the New York Times and Amanda Gorman's awe-inspiring poem from the 2021 Presidential Inauguration, "The Hill We Climb. Now take a moment to consider these questions. Can we expect the same kind of information from each of these documents? Should we approach reading them in the same way? Absolutely not. Each of them represents a different genre of literature. Well, here's where it gets fascinating. The Bible, too, is filled with a captivating array of genres.
Jacqui Adewole:
Tune in to this episode of the Bible Basics Podcast to explore the world of genre in the Bible. Well, welcome everyone. I'm your host, Jacqui Adewole, and this is the Bible Basics Podcast, where, weekly, we break down the basics of the Bible into understandable, bite-sized chunks. When we talk about literary genre, we're referring to the different types or styles of writing. Just like the books on our shelves, everything in the Bible is expressed in a particular style or genre. Genres have their own unique methods and procedures of interpretation, which can greatly enhance our understanding of a text. You can often identify the genre of a passage by looking at its form. For example, consider the phrase, "once upon a time. Compare that with a document that begins with Dear Sir or Madam, we know one is a fairy tale and the other is a business letter. Each raises a set of expectations and the understanding genre helps us know what to expect from each. The Bible contains a wide range of literary genres, with the number of genres exceeding 100, according to the ESV Literary Study Bible. However, to make it more manageable, let's focus on five overarching genres in the Old Testament, narrative, law, wisdom, poetry and prophecy, and in the New Testament, we'll mainly look at the Gospels and Epistles or Letters.
Jacqui Adewole:
Let's start with narrative. Narrative is the predominant genre in the Bible and it involves storytelling. To understand a story, we need to pay attention to its plot or action, its settings and its characters. Nearly half the Bible comprises narratives that recount past events. These historical narratives give us a glimpse into the lives of God's people and reveal how God worked in and through them to accomplish his purposes. Law, on the other hand, refers to legal material, primarily found in Exodus, chapters 19-40, as well as other books like Leviticus, numbers and Deuteronomy. This genre focuses on the practical functioning of the covenantal relationship between God and Israel. The purpose of the law was to teach the Israelites fundamental values and to set stipulations and boundaries for their conduct. They were to learn how they were to love the Lord, their God, and to live in community with each other. The law also separated Israel from the surrounding cultures and their behaviors and values.
Jacqui Adewole:
I once read a definition of poetry as, "that stuff where the lines don't go right to the end of the page. Well, that's close, but it needs a little more. You can look at a modern-day Bible to determine what the editors consider poetry. Poetic verses are indented. However, please note that the King James translation of the Bible does not indent lines to distinguish poetry. But how else can you recognize poetry? Well, poetry uses imagery, figures of speech like metaphors, and parallelism to stimulate the imagination and evoke emotional responses. Parallelism is typically, when you have two lines, the second line saying very much the same thing as the first line for emphasis or, in some cases, to elaborate on what's in the first line. Parallelism is one of the tell-tale features of biblical poetry.
Jacqui Adewole:
Books like Psalms are almost exclusively written in poetic form. The poetic portions of the Old Testament, if gathered, will be longer than the entire New Testament. Poetry helps us to appreciate the beauty of language and imagery while conveying profound truths about God's character and love. Wisdom literature, including books like Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Hob and certain Psalms imparts knowledge about how to live life and how to deal with its challenges. Metaphorical and poetic language is often used in wisdom literature, which requires careful consideration during reading and studying.
Jacqui Adewole:
Prophetic literature involves God's word, message or revelation given to selected individuals for dissemination. Prophecy includes predictions of future events, warnings of coming judgment and an overview of God's plan for Israel. Many of the Old Testament prophets, like Isaiah and Jeremiah, foretold the coming of a Messiah who would save God's people. Moving on to the New Testament, we find the genre of the Gospels. The word gospel refers to the first four books of the New Testament Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. What makes this genre unique is that it has more to do with the content than the form in which the content is presented. They are each about the life and teachings of Jesus. Each gospel presents a unique perspective and emphasis, but they all testify to the central truth of the Christian faith that Jesus is the Son of God who came to save us from our sins.
Jacqui Adewole:
The epistles, or letters, are the predominant genre in the New Testament. They are twenty-one letters from the apostles to various churches or individuals. These letters resemble modern letters with an opening, a greeting, a body and a closing. They address the issues relevant to the early Christian communities and offer guidance and encouragement for living out the faith. They clarify previous teachings, provide explanations, correct false teaching and delve deeper into the teachings of Jesus.
Jacqui Adewole:
Now you might be wondering why all this matters. Why should we care about the different literary genres in the Bible? Well, understanding the genre in the Bible is crucial because it helps us interpret the text correctly and apply it to our lives in a meaningful way. By recognizing the genre of a particular passage, we can learn valuable lessons from historical accounts, apply guidance and encouragement from letters and appreciate the beauty of language and imagery and poetry. It grants us access to the intricate weaving of God's Word, revealing profound truths that lie beneath the surface. Remember, the Bible is not just a collection of different literary genres but ultimately a unified story of God's redemption of His people. As you explore the Bible and encounter various genres, i encourage you to see its rich tapestry of history, law, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, gospels and letters in the whole new light. Thank you for listening. If this has been beneficial to you, please subscribe or follow and tell someone else about the Bible Basics Podcast, and we'll talk again soon.
