Hermeneutics 3 rd Quarter Bible Class July 30, 2017 Week Four Genre

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1 Hermeneutics 3 rd Quarter Bible Class July 30, 2017 Week Four Genre I. Introduction A. Do you like rules? Are you the kind of person who likes to paint inside the lines or are you the type that enjoys doing your own creative thing on a whim or going off in some uncharted direction? B. While some rules can be silly, irritating, or downright foolish, if we really think about it, at some point, all of us appreciate the reality of rules! Prisons > I appreciate their rules. Classrooms > rules are essential for maintaining order Military > rules ensure lives are saved. Sports > rules become the standards that allow the fun to actually take place! Let s consider sports for a moment... C. Use various sports items to teach how rules change from sport to sport. Soccer everyone can kick the ball, only 1 person can touch it Basketball no one can kick the ball, but everyone can touch it Football everyone can push one another, where in soccer and basketball they cannot. D. Or, take for instance, the differing kinds of literature some of you have in your hands. What categories of literature do we have represented? (Childrens, newspaper, advertisement, bill, Sports History, etc.) Automatically, your brain analyzes what you see and immediately it begins to interpret based on the category/genre that you re reading. E. In the arena of Bible interpretation, each genre of literature that s present in the Bible is accompanied with its own rules for how to rightly interpret the Scriptures contained in that book of section of the Bible. II. What is Genre & Why Know About It? A. Definition: Genre is a French word meaning form or kind. A genre is a category grouping in which shared characteristics found in a particular piece of art or literature are grouped together, abiding by a shared set of rules, to borrow our sports analogy. B. When we think in terms of biblical genre, Jason DeRouchie writes, Genre refers to an identifiable category of literary composition that usually demands its own exegetical rules. Just like any piece of art or literature, the Bible contains many different types of literature. 1

2 C. Why know about genre when it comes to being a good interpreter of the Bible? 1. It will help you avoid major errors in interpretation. So, it will help you truly grasp what God is saying in any given passage of Scripture. We ll discuss some of these pitfalls/errors as we go along. 2. It will help you have a greater appreciation for the varied ways God has communicated to us. Like a good father or a good coach, he s not a one-truck pony or a computer that spits out data in one monotone style. The artistry of our Creator God can even be found in the colorful way he communicates to us as His children. This should lead toward thankfulness and worship. D. Transition: Let s now walk through the main genres found in Scripture both OT & NT examining the unique set of built-in rules that come with each genre. There are 5 primary genres we ll look at together: Narrative, Poetry & Wisdom, Prophecy (Apocalyptic), Gospels, Epistles) III. Narrative A. The common literary genre in the entire Bible is narrative. Somewhere between 1/3 to ½ of the whole Bible is in this form. Narrative is the main supporting framework for the Bible. B. Narrative is the predominant genre of the Pentateuch, in all the books of the earlier prophets and in some of the latter prophets (sections in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jonah and others). Also narrative is prevalent is several books of the Writings (esp. Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Ruth, Esther, and Daniel. See chart below. 2

3 C. Biblical narratives tells stories. These stories, having a beginning, middle, and end, begin with real individuals whose situation intentionally contributes to the whole of that particular book and ultimately, to the intent of God, the one true author of Scripture. D. Biblical narrative (i.e. historical narrative) is unique in a few ways. 1. Prose tends to state things directly in an obvious manner, but biblical narrative oftentimes veils things a bit more indirectly, causing the reader to have to pay attention a little more closely. 2. The author selectively shares what he wants to, usually not concerned about a tight chronological progression like we expect in narrative stories today, but oftentimes summarizing the account with a word of judgment about the person or the situation that occurred. In other words, it wants to teach us something from this story! 3. Note that it s pretty common to have multiple genres going on within the narrative. You might find a subgenre like a deathbed blessing, a song, a predictive prophecy, a sermon, or a covenant being made. E. How Do We Interpret Biblical Narrative? (DeRouchie, p. 39) 1. Distinguish the Episode and its Scenes a. Much like a TV dramas, biblical narratives have sections to them (i.e. episodes) that all tell one primary story. Don t zero in on a less important sidebar conversation in the story, such that you miss the overall purpose of the story to begin with. b. For example, David s 5 smooth stones he picked up or his conversation with his brother or the dialogue with Saul about armor and weapons are not the main point of the text. The crux of the story hinges on David s words when he says, This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand,.that all the world may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD s, and he will give you into our hand. 2. Consider Literary Features and Theological Trajectories 3

4 How are the main actors in the story portrayed? Are there any editorial comments here and there by the author? How does this narrative story anticipate the finished work of Christ? What led up to this story? Anything significant? 3. Try to be able to state in a single sentence the episode s main idea. 4. Try to draw an outline of the narrative in the best way you can. IV. Poetry and Wisdom (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, S. of S.) A. Although narrative is the most common genre in the Bible, you might be surprised to know poetry is not too far behind. Interestingly enough, only 7 books in the entire OT do NOT contain poetry. Standing as the shining example of biblical poetry is obviously the Psalms, followed by Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Even the NT contains a lot of poetry (quotations from OT poetry, possible 1 st century hymns, Mary s Magnificat, etc.) B. How Do We Interpret Biblical Poetry? (Kaiser, p. 140) 1. Note the Parallelism Hebrew Parallelism is one of the chief marks of poetry in the OT. Synonymous Parallelism (Prov 1:20) Wisdom calls aloud in the street she raises her voice in the public squares. Antithetic Parallelism (Prov 10:1) A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish soon grief to his mother. Emblematic Symbolism Parallelism (Psalm 42:1) As a deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. Climactic Parallelism (Psalm 92:9) For surely your enemies, O LORD, surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered. 2. Watch for Repetition In Hebrew, when the author wanted you to grasp his point, he repeats himself over and over again. In English, we re taught to vary our speech, but Hebrew students would have been taught to say it the exact way. If you see things repeated, it s more than likely intentional and should be noted! 4

5 Psalm Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; *This continues for 26 verses. What do think is the Psalmist point? Pretty clear, right? 3. Understand Chiasms & Inclusios a. Chiasm is a very common tool used by writers in both the OT & NT, meant to point out what precisely they are talking about. It is structured in a ABBA ( sandwich ) type of format where each section parallels itself. This is not strictly limited to Hebrew poetry (found in nearly every genre), but it is very prevalent in the Psalms. Psalm 118 example below Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. 9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! b. Inclusio Think of inclusios are parentheses, of the slices of bread that make up the sandwich. These are the first and last things the writer will say, so as you can imagine, they are pretty important. They bracket together his point. 4. Understand Proverbs Brief sayings that are memorable and wise, drawn from realities in God s world and are rooted in God s Word. But, they are generalities that must be taken as such. Generally speaking, this is how life under God s authority generally goes. They are not to be interpreted as precise air-tight promises custom-molded for every human situation. Proverbs 26:4-5 Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself. 5

6 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes. Or, the classic Prov 22:6 Train up a child promise V. Prophecy VI. Gospels A. How do we know we re reading prophecy? Well, prophecy is an oracle or divine pronouncement made through a prophet that directs human action in the present or foretells future events. Sometimes it s an indictment, instruction, warning of punishment or hope of future salvation. B. Prophecy can be one of the most challenging portions of the Bible to read. Reading Daniel, Isaiah or Zechariah can be quite difficult, but still very rewarding. Here would be a great place to encourage you to ask an elder for a recommendation on either a solid study Bible (ESV Study Bible, Zond NIV App SB, etc.) that will give really helpful background and interpretive notes. C. We have to be careful in these parts of the Bible, avoiding pitfalls to spiritualize or allegorize the text in ways that mirror whatever we want to see, rather than what God really intended. D. A Word about Revelation 1. Revelation is very unique in that it contains 3 different genres in one single book. (letter 1:4, prophecy 1:3, apocalyptic 1:1) This could be one of the most significant genre discussions since how to you look at the genre will begin to give rise to how you read the book as a whole. This explains why good men disagree on how it should be rightly understood. 2. Andy Naselli writes that Revelation is apocalyptic prophecy in the form of a circular letter since things in Revelation continue to repeat themselves over and over, but in an ever-worsening A. The NT has four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) although only one true Gospel (The Gospel According to...). Three of these are similar in construction (Matthew-Luke > Synoptic Gospels), whereas John stands in more distinction. B. The style of literature is most like biographies, but in their own way. Unlike modern biographies, chronological precision is not that important. 6

7 They are more concerned the telling historical information for the point to be made; that is why you see a mix of Jesus teachings and actions. C. Every Gospel culminates with a large, extended emphasis on Jesus death and resurrection. What this demonstrates is that the entire message of the Bible is summed up in one Gospel, recorded for us from four different perspectives, all leading towards the shed atoning blood of Christ! D. How to Interpret the Gospels? VII. Epistles (Letters) 1. Interpret them as history 2. Discern why they Gospels recount the events they do in the way they do? 3. Discern whether the author thinks the character is one you should imitate and note their editorial comments here and there. About Judas, He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 4. Watch that you do not over-interpret parables. Discern the main point and be content to accept the simplicity of it. A. Epistles feel like home in the sense that we seem to understand them the best, given their logical flow of thought and relatability as NT Christians. B. About 35% of the NT text is letters. In the Greco-Roman world, communicating via letter was popular and convenient. Nearly always, there would be an introduction/greeting, followed by the body of the letter, ending with a conclusion/farewell thoughts. C. How to Interpret Epistles? 1. Remember the Specific 1 st century audience (occasional letter prompted by some particular request, need or situation) 2. Don t expect the letters to read like a systematic theology book. 3. Trace the argument being made. 4. Try to understand the historical, cultural context and literary contexts. Remember the original audience would have heard this read in one sitting, rather than dividing it up into chunks like we 7

8 typically do. There is unique value in reading or listening to it altogether. 5. Understand the meaning of significant words (a topic we ll address in future weeks) 8

Biblical Literary Genres

Biblical Literary Genres I. INTRODUCTION Welcome to week 4 of How to Study and Teach the Bible. The plan for this morning was originally to talk about two separate issues biblical genres and common errors