There can be no doubt that poetry is the oldest and historically most important form of literature; as much as it may be an afterthought for most of us today, throughout most of human history, poetry was king. While more of a stylistic approach to language than a 'genre,' it’s helpful to understand how biblical … Continue reading Understanding Biblical Genres: Poetry
As someone who reads and reflects on the Scriptures regularly, I can’t deny there’s always a desire to find a new approach or twist to these old stories we’ve heard so many times before. But sometimes the old, well-worn roads are the right ones. They may be corny or cheesy or cliché, a little too … Continue reading On the Road Again: A Reflection on Luke 24.13-35
Some of the oddest pieces of the Bible to many of us today are the long sections taken up with genealogies. We can be excused for asking why, considering the great expense of writing materials in the ancient world, biblical authors felt the need to include this content at all. Moreover, thinking of the Bible … Continue reading Understanding Biblical Genres: Genealogies
Yesterday in this series on understanding the literary genres of the Bible, we looked at myths – the big stories around which civilizations, are built. I identified four such stories in the Bible: Creation, Exodus, Deuteronomy/Exile, and, for Christians, the story of Jesus. But of course not all ancient stories told around campfires would have … Continue reading Understanding Biblical Genres: Legends
I’m starting this series on understanding Biblical genres with what is most certainly the most controversial category: Myth. To many people of faith today, even the hint that the Bible could contain ‘myth’ is tantamount to the worst kind of unbelief and disrespect for the text. But that concern is based on a faulty understanding … Continue reading Understanding Biblical Genres: Myth
Matthew Root 