Genres in the Bible…

Types of writing in the Bible GENRES Types of writing in the Bible It’s important to know what GENRE you are reading because this impacts how we read and interpret what it says!

WHAT GENRES ARE IN THE BIBLE? Do you know??

Myth, legal writings, historical writings, fairy tales, music lyrics, love poetry, advice column, prophetic writings etc.

HISTORICAL BOOKS History is told through stories or narrative. The books of the bible that are in this genre are Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2, Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Jonah, and Acts. We have to be careful in assuming most of the Bible is historical (factually historical). These books that are written as history are not always accurate and are written more like a story or narrative rather than what you read in a history text book. Sometimes these books do contain poetry as well but overall they are mostly story and Ruth falls into the sub‐category of Romance as it tells about how two people fall in love.

History Continued… Most ancient tradition tells their origins though story and the Jewish people were no different. (Think of the Aboriginal tradition of telling stories around campfires to teach children their history) The Jewish people recorded their history through stories that were passed down from one generation to the next until they were written down. Many of these stories are fictional and some are fact. The History begins with the story of creation and the first family, then they move to the first family chosen by God and how that family becomes a nation and the struggles they have along the way. Next we have Joshua Kings and Chronicles which tell us the history of the Jewish people from the time of the Judges through the Persian Empire.

HISTORY CONTINUED… The history books in the Bible demonstrate what God did to and through people and some of these may not have a moral or direct teaching as they record history whether good or bad but instead emphasize God’s nature and revelation like no other literary genre can. When you are reading and trying to understand historical stories you need to think about and ask yourself:  What is happening? ‐ Understand the plot.  To who? When? Where? WHY?  What can I learn about God?  What can I learn about the other characters involved?

LAW In the Bible the law contains the instructions and precepts of Moses and are found in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. They contains around 620 laws given to Moses by God. These laws defined the proper relationship with God, to one another, and with the world, as well as for worshipping God, governing the people, priestly duties, what to eat and not eat, how to build the temple, proper behaviour, manners, and social interaction, etc. These laws were given in time when society was not as advanced both socially and technically (there were no fridges to keep meat or fish, they had to learn about washing before preparing food and how to keep certain diseases out of the community as there were no hospitals, drugs or vaccinations.) Most of the laws do not apply to us today but we can still find the law useful in helping us live together. Jesus referred too some of the laws in the Sermon of the Mount and in the Gospels. Through the lens of Jesus, we understand that the law pointed to the need for a Saviour and Jesus fulfilled that law and showed a new way of relating to God and to each other not based on rules or regulations but on LOVE.

LAW CONTINUED… When you are reading LAW sections, ask these questions:  What does each law reveal about God’s standards, and justice?  What does the Law say about the culture and the Jewish people at that time?  What rules/regulations are being put in place? Why?  What situations/circumstances do they cover?  Are they for moral reasons or are they concerned with administration/ government and personal hygiene?  Can you see any pattern being established? Is a feast, offering or ceremony being described? If so, what seems to be its purpose or significance? Never stop asking WHY? When reading the books of Law!

POETRY The Genre of poetry in the Bible include prose, rhymes, songs, poems and this includes the books of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations and Song of Solomon. The poetry books in the Old Testament particularly Psalms, Song of Solomon, and Lamentations The poetry found in these books were not based on rhyme, meter, or alliteration, as in Western poetry; but are in Hebrew and are based upon parallels, metaphors and imagery. The poetry books are emotive and emotional and written in times of depression, despair and passion. Much of the poetry is designed to be sung and used in praise and worship. Poetry is located in other books in the Bible such as Luke, Genesis, Exodus, Habakkuk. The wisdom books are slightly different and focus on the meaning of life and on practical living that contrast’s our faulty human understanding to wisdom. This literature warns of human nature and desires.

POETRY CONTINUED… When you are reading and trying to understand poetry in the Bible:  Read poetry slowly and in short sections.  Study the imagery.  Look for a central theme  What is being said about God?  What is being said of God’s people or humanity?  Is the writer pleading for something?  Are they pouring their heart out – if so what about? Are they praising God?  What mood does the writer seem to be in? Joyful? Happy? Angry? Fearful? Anxious?

PROPHECY/APOCOLYPTIC Another genre in the Bible is prophecy and Prophecy is the type of literature that is often associated with predicting the future. This is the most misunderstood part of Scripture. Prophecy literally means "speaking forth", that is, declaring God's word. It is not necessarily predicting the future. The books in the Bible that prophetic are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi and parts of revelation.

Prophecy continued… When you think about the Old Testament prophets and their writings, the prophetic books (Isaiah, Daniel Micah...). Predicting the future consists of only a small part of what they preached and wrote. Much of their prophetic declaration consists of proclaiming God's judgment, encouragement, love, call to repentance, etc., whatever the listeners needed to hear from God. When they did prophesy about the future, it was not to arouse or satisfy people's curiosity, but was given with the purpose of calling them to repentance or giving encouragement.

PROPHECY There are two main types of prophecy ; one is “predictive,” which means it foretelling an event, and the other is “didactic,” which challenges others to line up morally or to teach a truth or do the right thing. Prophecy is not always the end of the world and judgement day and doom and gloom (although there are these ideas in some parts of the writing) but they are dealing with a specific group of people in a specific time who have fallen away from God or will be falling away from God. In the New Testament, prophecy is mainly found in Matthew 24 and the book of Revelation.

Prophecy Continued… Prophecy has both an immediate call to a given situation, such as the “seven churches of Revelation”, and a predated future to come to pass. That is, it is twofold—a past and a future, both applying to the present. Some predictions are already fulfilled, such as the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and some have yet to come to pass such as the return of Christ (Christ has died, Christ is risen… Christ will come again!)

Prophecy Continued… Prophecy also contain Apocalyptic writing which are combinations of narrative and prose written in vivid imagery and poetic phrases that are intended to exaggerate for a purpose such as Daniel and most of Revelation. Apocalyptic writing is a type of literature that warned the people who the authors were writing to about future events from which full meaning is hidden to us for the time being. Apocalyptic writing is almost a “secret or coded,” giving the reader glimpses of what is to come through the use of symbols and imagery. ‘A vividly symbolic narrative that "reveals" God's views about a historical crisis, in order to provide encouragement for a difficult present and hope for a better future.’

What you need to remember when reading PROPHETIC writings…  Try and establish the historical setting.  What circumstances in history provoked this prophetic word from God? –  What’s the main problem  What does it say about God?  What happens?  Why is this in the Bible?  What images are used?  Is the prophecy positive or negative? Is it a warning? About what? Is it a condemnation? For what?  Is it an encouragement or a message of hope? About what?  Is it a promise? To do what? Prophecy is some of the hardest literature to read. Knowing the historical context is essential to really to appreciate what is being said

LETTERS! Another genre in the New Testament are the letters which are called the Epistles and there are 21 letters in the New Testament written to a specific group of people or person; such as the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, Peter, John, and the first three chapters of Revelation. The Letters were written by prominent church leaders and Apostles to help the church to discover who they were and what their mission was and how they were to live in this world and were practical and down to earth!

LETTERS! Most of the letters the names of the writer and the recipient, then a greeting, a reason for the letter, and then the central message or body of the letter; there is usually a closing, just like most letters today. Imagine yourself today back to a time when the message of Jesus was spreading quickly and people were struggling to distinguish between the way of the Kingdom and the way of their culture and whether or not they had to adhere to Jewish rule and the writers were often writing in response to a situation, for clarification and in response to questions from the church. However, we need to understand the cultural and historical situation to better understand what is going on, so we do not misunderstand what is being said.

LETTERS! When you are reading and trying to understand letters:  What prompted the letter?  Who are the recipients of the letter?  What is the mood of the letter?  What does the letter encourage?  Identify the major issues/arguments of the letter.  What is the point being raised in the issue ?  What does the author suggest?

NOW YOU KNOW! Now that you know more about HOW to read the Bible, we can better understand what this AMAZING collection of books is trying to teach us about GOD!