Bible Interpretation, Student Workbook, SW05

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B I B L E I N T E R P R E T A T I O N

Biblical Literature Interpreting the Genres of the Bible

Welcome in the strong name of Jesus Christ! When you have completed your work in this module, we trust that you will be able to: • Define the term “genre” and its role in biblical interpretation, i.e., that particular kind of literary form which communicates truth and must be interpreted according to the rules of that form. • Analyze the basic assumptions of genre study of the Scriptures that make it both an essential and worthwhile discipline, including the Bible as a book of literature, as a book which pays attention to literary rules and principles, and the way in which God employed human literary strategies to communicate his Word. • Lay out some of the more important forms of biblical genre, including the use of narrative (both historical and imaginative), the Law (legal writings), epistles (letters), prophecy, wisdom literature (proverbs, monologues, riddles, fables, parables, allegories, etc.), and poetry. • Provide the purposes of biblical genres, including to fulfill a particular need, to deepen our understanding of our fundamental human experience, to allow us to image reality in its most concrete from, to display the artistry of the biblical authors as led by the Spirit, and to reveal the richness of the mystery of God and his work in the world. • Give evidence of the major benefits of careful genre study, including how it will empower us to discover the author’s original intention, edify our souls, enrich our appreciation of life, entertain us, and enlighten our minds as we rigorously pursue the meaning of God in the particular form of literature we are exploring. • Define the term “special hermeneutics,” i.e., the rules and procedures that enable us to interpret the literary forms of the Bible. • Demonstrate a knowledge of narrative form in literature, and the general assumptions of story theology, which include God’s providing a record of his work in the story accounts of the Bible, that all theology is reflection on the stories of the Bible, that the stories that refer to historical accounts in

Lesson Objectives

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