REVIEW
1. What is the TaNaK?
a) Torah does mean?
b) Nevi'im does mean?
c) Ketuvim does mean?
2. What is the main story of the Bible?
3. What takes up most of the pages of the Bible?

It is critical to understand that this great story is told through a variety of distinct literary genres, each one accomplishing differing purposes. Knowing the type of genre may create a whole new expectation in the reader. These different genres are employed to communicate the author’s distinct meaning in a unique way. A particular literary genre may require you to learn a new skill in order to interpret it. What’s more, a type of literary genre could be used to force you to see the world in a brand new way, expanding your humanity!

NARRATIVE IN THE BIBLE
Narrative involves characters, a setting, and a plot. In other words, narrative is people in places doing things to each other. They are usually starting a conflict that escalates until it’s resolved in some way. The Bible contains a plethora of unique narratives throughout, and they amount to almost half of the content in the Bible. This is important because narrative is one of the most basic modes of human communication.

Every worldview is grounded in a fundamental narrative account of the world. Biblical narratives are theological history. In other words, their primary purpose is not moral instruction, but worldview and identity formation for those whose story is told. Large-scale epic narratives address five ultimate questions which every worldview attempts to answer.

POETRY IN THE BIBLE
Encyclopedia Britannica defines poetry as, “a kind of literature that evokes a concentrated imaginative awareness of one’s experience or emotions by means of well-crafted language that is chosen for its meaning, sound, and rhythm.”

The form of poetry is so fluid that it can communicate feeling and sense even through gibberish. The power of this literary style comes fro its concentrated and often surprising form of language.

"Poetry stretches the ordinary uses of words, and places them into unfamiliar relationships with each other, thereby cutting fresh paths across the well-worn grooves of everyday language."
-Thomas Long

DISCOURSE IN THE BIBLE
In contrast to poetry, which uses imagery and metaphor to engage the right brain in emotional and imaginative ways, discourse engages the left brain through logical and linear developments of thought. Discourse is prose writing that seeks to communicate information for a variety of purposes:
- To inform (Ephesians 1-3)
- To persuade (Ephesians 4-6, Deuteronomy)
- To comfort (2 Corinthians 1-7)
- To inform (Romans)
- To challenge or warn (Hebrews)

Discourse builds its arguments through logical development of thought. These movements of thought are connected by words like, and, therefore, because, so that, as a result, etc. By using logic and reasoning, discourse seeks to build an argument and then persuade the listener to change their behavior.

Discourse is found throughout the Bible in its laws, wisdom literature, and the letters of the New Testament.

God saved you out of slavery in Egypt
- THEREFORE -
be faithful to the covenant.

FROM DEUTERONOMY 4-11

Jesus was killed and exalted for the Gospel and I [Paul] am in prison for this Gospel and Tychicus and Timothy risked their lives for the Gospel
- THEREFORE -
Euodia and Syntyche, you need to have the same mindset, in the Lord

FROM PHILIPPIANS 2:1-2; 4:2

INTRO TO BIBLICAL GENRES

Narrative: Biblical stories are not merely historical reports. They are carefully crafted stories that teach and communicate profound truths about God, ourselves, and the world. Through character and plot development, the author invites us into a view of the world where God is involved and has purposes for human history. The characters’ speech and actions, the plot line and consequences of their decisions, and also the repetition of key themes all contribute to the theological message the biblical storytellers wish to communicate.

Psalm: Poetry is written to express emotion rather than logical argument. Biblical psalms have many forms (thanksgiving, praise, lament, petition), and they make heavy use of metaphor and imagery.

Law: These are the commands and decrees given by God to Israel at or around Mount Sinai. The laws formed the terms of Israel’s covenant agreement with God and cover all aspects of their community life. Ritual commands concern Israel’s worship in the temple, and other laws cover Israel’s social and moral life.

Prophecy: Prophecy is divine speech given through an appointed figure in Israel’s history. Prophets primarily wrote in poetry, but they also wrote in discourse. The prophetic books contain a fair amount of narrative as well. Their mission was to accuse Israel of covenant failure and warn them of the consequences, either divine judgment or redemption. Prophetic poetry uses a lot of poetic metaphor, symbols, and rhetorical persuasion. It lacks a linear or logical flow, but it communicates through imagery and symphonic repetition, appealing to both the imagination and intellect.

Wisdom: The wisdom books are a diverse collection of poetry and discourse books that are unified by their main theme: the journey to live wisely and well in a way that honors God and others. Wisdom books use poetry, proverbs, and poetic dialogue to invite readers to listen to the wisdom of the ancients.

Gospel: The four Gospels are a form of biography. These are carefully designed narratives about the life, mission, death, and resurrection of Jesus. They are meant to both explain Jesus’ significance and challenge the reader’s thinking and behavior. Each one has a unique set of themes to emphasize about Jesus, reflected in the different arrangement and content of their four accounts. They all focus on Jesus’ announcement and teaching about God’s kingdom, culminating in his crucifixion and resurrection. They then present all of this as “good news” which demands a response.

Parable: Parables are short, fictional stories drawn from daily life that are used by a teacher to illustrate a main point. Parables usually have a simple surface meaning that invites reflection on a deeper more profound reality. They can range from short metaphors to elaborate allegories, but they often involve some level of surprise or reversal at the end.

Epistle: These are letters from the apostles written to specific church communities, and they are almost always in discourse. The authors tend to make their point through logical forms of communication or argumentation, introducing a topic which is developed in a linear train of thought. New Testament letters usually have a combination of teaching followed by a challenge or exhortation.

Apocalyptic: The authors recount visions or dreams that reveal a heavenly perspective on historical events and their meaning in light of the consummation of history. They typically culminate in God’s defeat of evil and transformation of the world order into the coming Kingdom of God. These books have a universal focus and a strong emphasis on God’s direction over the course of history. Apocalyptic literature often uses strange symbols and metaphorical imagery, almost always drawn from the Old Testament, that require patient reflection. Because these books culminate in God’s defeat of evil, their purpose is to encourage worship and faithfulness despite suffering and hardship.

QUESTIONS
1. What role does the Holy Spirit play in our understanding of biblical literature and the words of Jesus? Look up 1 Corinthians 2:13-14 and John 14:26 for talking points.

2. How can misreading a genre of literature lead to incorrect interpretation? Look up 2 Peter 3:16 and 2 Timothy 2:15. Is an understanding of literary genre inferred to in these passages? Why or why not?

The authors of the Bible leave out certain details for reason, either because it is not important or to cause us to have questions and participate in the story. This then leads to us draw out numerous interpretations and layers for each passage. In other words, you are meant to have questions after reading the Bible and then take time to wrestle with those questions - resulting in either a solution or forcing us to use different perspectives and ask different questions.

Like getting water from a well, you have to work at it to get what you want. It will not simply be given to you.

To meditate on something means you are thinking deeply or carefully about it. In Hebrew, the word meditate (hagah) means literally to mutter or speak quietly. The idea is that everyday for the rest of your life you slowly, quietly read the Bible out loud to yourself and then go talk about it with your friends, pondering puzzles, making connections, and discovering what it all means. Ad as you let the Bible interpret itself, something remarkable happens; the Bible starts to read you. Because ultimately the writers of the Bible want you to adopt the story as your story -- meaning that you find similarities with the different characters throughout the story, possibly making the same decisions they made if you were put in their shoes, and ultimately see that you are as messed up and in need of a savior as they were.

QUESTION
1. Describe what you felt when you walked out of the cinema immediately after being totally immersed in a great movie. Similarly, what was it that you experienced after the final page of your favorite novel?