For the most part, understanding biblical genres is about situating the books of the Bible within their broader cultural context: Understanding Ancient Near Eastern Law codes can help us better understand how the Law of Moses functioned, for example, or understanding how Apocalyptic functioned in Second Temple Judaism can help us to avoid serious interpretive … Continue reading Understanding Biblical Genres: Gospel
Today is Ascension Day, the feast when Christians commemorate Jesus’s ascension into heaven, where, in the words of the Creed, “he sits at the right hand of the Father.” It’s an event in Jesus’s life that has been hovering over (no pun intended) our Sunday readings for the last two weeks: Jesus’ claim to be … Continue reading Some Resources for Ascension Day
It’s time for our look at different biblical genres to switch over to genres we see primarily in the New Testament, and specifically today we’ll look at the Parables of Jesus, which nicely bridge the gap between Old Testament Wisdom Literature and the explicitly Christian writings of the New Testament. While there are some parables … Continue reading Understanding Biblical Genres: Parables
Last Sunday, we looked at Jesus’ controversial words that he was (and is) the way to the Father and “no one comes to the Father except through [him].” I proposed that these words were not about insisting that other ‘ways’ are false, but about comforting his disciples with the knowledge that they already know the … Continue reading Another Advocate, Another Coach: A Reflection on John 14.15-21
Back at the start of this series, we looked at two different types of story, myths and legends. We saw that myths are the foundational stories around which cultures understand themselves, and legends are traditional stories that reinforce those identities, while often explaining the origins of specific place names, customs, or beliefs. Today I’d like … Continue reading Understanding Biblical Genres: Folk Tales
Matthew Root 