As
a poet and writer, I’m just naturally interested in the effects literary forms have
on readers. For instance, narratives draw us into stories with which we can
relate, while poetry expresses for us the praise, laments, thoughts, and feelings
we have in common.
In
other words, poems and stories help us to connect with God, one another, and ourselves.
It’s not surprising then that the Bible consists primarily of two main genres
or types of literature: narratives and poetry.
In
the Introduction to the Literary Study Bible, which Crossway kindly sent me to review, we learn that biblical
narratives come in sub-types such as the “hero
story, Gospel, epic, tragedy, comedy (a U-shaped plot with a happy ending), and
parable. Specific poetic genres keep multiplying as well: lyric, lament psalm,
praise psalm, love poem, nature poem, epithalamion (wedding poem) and many
others.”
The
Introduction goes on to say, “In addition
to narrative and poetry, we find prophecy, visionary writing, apocalypse,
pastoral, encomium, oratory, drama (the book of Job), satire, and epistle. Then
if we start adding more specific forms like travel story, dramatic monologue,
doom song, and Christ hymn, the number of literary genres in the Bible readily
exceeds one hundred.”
Since
we might not be familiar with all of these literary terms, the publisher
included a Glossary in the back of the book, explaining, for example, that encomium
is “A work of literature that praises either
a general character type (e.g., Psalm 1 on the godly person and Prov. 31:10-31
on the virtuous wife) or abstract quality (e.g., 1 Corinthians 13 on love and
Hebrews 11 on faith).”
Does
any of this matter? I think so. For example, if you know I’m a fairly well-traveled
Southerner who grew up believing in God’s love for all people, in Jesus as the full
embodiment of God’s Word, and in Christian fellowship as vital for up-building the
church, you’ll have a better idea of where I’m coming from and, therefore, more
likely to connect. Similarly, the literary forms in the Bible help us to know
where the writers were coming from and what they hoped we, the readers, would
relate to, hear, and heed as they bring us God’s message in a particular way.
Or, as the Introduction puts it:
“Whereas history and the daily news tell us
what happened, literature tells us
what happens – what is true for all
people in all places and times…. The goal of literature is to prompt a reader
to share or relive an experience. The truth that literature imparts is not
simply ideas that are true but truthfulness to human experience.”
To
give you a better idea of the features in this edition, let’s begin in the
beginning with Genesis, “The Book at a Glance.”
“As its title signals, the book of Genesis is
the Bible’s book of beginnings. It is a foundational book that informs us about
the first principles of the biblical faith – such first principles as how the
world came into being, how sin entered the world, how God began to unfold his
plan of salvation, and what people and human institutions (especially the
family) are like. Although Genesis is a history book, its history is packed in
highly literary forms, the most dominant of which is hero story. Because the
history that is recounted in the book of Genesis reaches back to the primitive
origins of the human race, it is particularly rich in universal, elemental
human experience. Despite the seeming remoteness of the world of Genesis, the
experiences are actually very close to our everyday lives.”
In
one example of the timelessness of these experiences, we read how the serpent
in the Garden of Eden cast doubt on whether God meant what He said – a question
that troubles many people today. (Unnecessarily, I must add! If God said it,
God means it!) Another example of a
common experience is the sibling rivalry Cain felt for Able (though we pray it
doesn’t have the same tragic ending in our families!) Or what about Abraham’s
lying to protect himself or Jacob’s learning the hard way that deceitfulness is
apt to boomerang?
“The
Book at a Glance” for Job has its own theme and purpose as “It raises the question not simply of why
people in general suffer but specifically of why the righteous suffer.
Philosophers and theologians call this ‘the problem of evil’ and the attempt to
offer a satisfactory solution to the problem is called theodicy.”
Regarding
the genres used in Job, “The story begins
and ends with a narrative frame in which the author tells the story of the fall
and restoration of the protagonist Job. Within these bookends, though, the
primary form is drama, as we are presented with the speeches and dialogues of
the actors in the story. The form in which these speeches are cast is poetry.”
Before
reading The Psalms, its “Theological Themes” introduce us to “(1) The nature of God: no book of the Bible
offers a more comprehensive survey of the acts and attributes of God. (2) The
nature of people: because every psalm is at some level a personal statement by
a poet. Psalms is also an index to what people are like, both good and bad. (3)
Nature and the physical creation: the psalms say and imply many things about
the external world that God made and sustains. (4) Worship: the psalms are used
in worship, and many of them talk about worship. (5) Suffering: the many lament
psalms yield a theology of suffering.”
Skipping
ahead to the New Testament, a footnote on Matthew 5 points out that Jesus’
Sermon on the Mount “has the nature of an
inauguration speech.”
The
footnote goes on to say, “The beatitudes
are one of the most patterned passages in the entire New Testament. They follow
the Hebrew verse form of parallelism: In each beatitude, Jesus (a) pronounces a
blessing on a group of people, (b) names the group according to their essential
trait, and (c) offers a reason (which is at the same time a promise) for their
condition of blessedness.”
A
distinctive feature in the Gospel of John “is
the linking of a sign or other great symbol with a corresponding statement made
by Jesus in the form of either a conversation or a full-fledged discourse. For
example, Jesus asks the Samaritan woman for a drink from the well (4:7-8) and
then pursues a conversation with the woman about water that climaxes in Jesus’
claim to be the source of living water that wells up to eternal life (4:9-15).
To cite another example, Jesus feeds five thousand (6:1-14), and a few verses
later we read his discourse on Jesus’ being the bread of life (6:25-40).”
Symbolism
reaches great height in the book of Revelation as the author uses narrative
story and poetic imagery, metaphor, and simile in presenting its “pageant of visions.”
With
these unique aids and insights into studying the highly acclaimed English Standard Version (ESV) of the
Bible,I look forward to sharing this excellent resource in my Sunday School and
mid-week Bible discussion groups, which, Lord willing, will begin again soon,
even if we need masks to accompany our prayers.
Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2020, poet, writer, pray-er, and lifelong believer in God’s Word.
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