Literary Study of the Bible: An Introduction

Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Part 1 Beginning
Chapter 1 “The Dream Was Doubled”: Reading Like a Hebrew
1.1 Seeing Deep and Whole: Stereoscopic Vision
1.2 Tabernacles for the Sun: Biblical Genres
Questions for Discussion
Chapter 2 “In the Scroll of the Book”: Composition and Canonicity
2.1 The Documentary Hypothesis: Its Origins, Assumptions, and Evolution
2.1.1 Hypothetical Documents: Divine Names, Disputed Dates, and the “Polychrome Bible”
2.1.2 Toledoth: Generations of Genesis and Torah
2.2 New Testament Sources: “Q” and A
2.3 “In His Hand Was a Measuring Rod”: Community, Councils, and Canons
2.3.1 Tanakh, Old Testament, the Deutero‐Canonicals, and New Testament Apocrypha
2.4 Literary Study of the Bible: A Way Forward
Questions for Discussion
Notes
Part 2 The Old Testament/Hebrew Bible/Tanakh
Chapter 3 Hebrew Poetry: Deep Calls to Deep
3.1 “In the Great Congregation”: The Many Voices of Psalms
3.1.1 A Pentateuch of Poems: The Five Books of the Psalter
3.1.2 “Create in Me a Clean Heart”: Interior Drama and Psychological Discovery
3.1.3 “Play Skillfully”: Figure and Form
3.1.3.1 Figurative Language
3.1.3.2 Form: Parallelism – Synonymous, Antithetic, Synthetic
3.1.3.3 Form: Refrain and Litany
3.1.3.4 Form: Juxtaposition
3.2 Love Strong as Death: The Song of Solomon
3.2.1 Lyric Sequence or Dramatic Narrative: Whose Story?
3.2.1.1 Allegory?
3.2.1.2 Literal Love Story?
3.2.1.3 Earthly Desire and Heavenly Longing
Questions for Discussion
Notes
Chapter 4 Wisdom Literature: Understanding Their Riddles
4.1 “Take Hold of Her”: Wisdom and Desire in Proverbs
4.1.1 “She Calls Aloud in the Streets”: Wisdom and Folly Personified
4.1.2 Folly Made Flesh: The Loose Woman
4.1.3 Wisdom Incarnate: The Good Wife
4.1.4 “The Beginning of Wisdom”: How to Read a Proverb
4.2 “Enjoy Your Toil”: The Counter-Wisdom of Ecclesiastes
4.2.1 “Under the Sun”: Living by Mortal Light
4.2.2 “The Wind Whirls About”: Cycles and Cynicism
4.2.3 “Remember Your Creator”: The End and the Beginning
Questions for Discussion
Notes
Chapter 5 Origin Narrative I: Divine Images in Genesis
5.1 Biblical Narrative Style: The Elements
5.1.1 Minimalism
5.1.2 Wordplay
5.1.3 Doubling and Repetition
5.1.4 Juxtaposition
5.1.5 Deferred Judgment
5.1.6 Irony – Sad, Happy, Complex
5.2 Day of Days: Creation in Stereoscope
5.2.1 “And It Was Good”: The Quiet Polemic Against Creative Violence
5.2.2 “In Our Image”: Man or Manikin?
5.2.3 “Male and Female”: Gendering Genesis
5.2.4 “Flesh of My Flesh”: Biblical Erotics and Marriage
5.3 Nakedness and Knowledge: Deception, Folly, Fall, and Curse
Questions for Discussion
Notes
Chapter 6 Origin Narrative II: Patriarchy and Its Discontents in Genesis
6.1 “Arc” of the Covenant: The Story of God’s Contracts
6.1.1 Kinds of Covenant: Bilateral and Unilateral
6.1.2 Keeping Covenant: Promises, Conditions, Signs
6.1.3 Specific Covenants: Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic
6.1.3.1 Adamic Covenant
6.1.3.2 Noahic Covenant
6.1.3.3 Abrahamic Covenant
6.2 Warts and All: Abraham and Anti‐Patriarchal Patriarchy
6.3 “The Older Shall Serve the Younger”: Against Primogeniture
6.4 “What Will Become of His Dreams”: Joseph and His Brothers
Questions for Discussion
Notes
Chapter 7 Biblical Epic I: Making the Nation in the Pentateuch
7.1 Mosaic Epic: The Priestly Kingdom
7.1.1 Moses: A Man Drawn Out
7.1.2 The Exodus: Let My People Go
7.1.3 Exodus and Leviticus: Covenant Law and Liberty
7.1.3.1 Mosaic Covenant: Moral, Civil, and Ritual Law
7.1.4 Numbers: Rebellion and Wandering
7.1.5 Deuteronomy: The Law Renewed
Questions for Discussion
Notes
Chapter 8 Heroic Narrative: Remaking the Hero in Joshua, Judges, and Ruth
8.1 Joshua’s Conquest: Taking the Promised Land
8.2 “When the Judge Was Dead … They Reverted”: Cycles of Decay in Judges
8.2.1 Alternative Heroes: Ehud, Deborah, Jael, and Gideon
8.2.2 “Weak … Like Any Other Man”: The Tragedy of Samson
8.2.3 The Anti-Hero: “Right in His Own Eyes”
8.3 “Famous in Bethlehem”: Ruth and Boaz, Local Heroes
Questions for Discussion
Note
Chapter 9 Biblical Epic II: Making the Kingdom in 1 and 2 Samuel
9.1 Saul’s Epic Tragedy: “A King … Like All the Nations” in 1 Samuel
9.1.1 “The Glory Has Departed”: Samuel, the Ark, and Israelite Survival
9.1.2 Cross Destinies: Saul, David, and Chiastic Plot Structure
9.2 David’s Epic Tragicomedy: A Sure House, a Lasting Covenant in 2 Samuel
9.2.1 A Biblical Elegy: The Song of the Bow
9.2.2 “From Strength to Strength”: King in Hebron, King in Jerusalem
9.2.3 Cross Destinies Times Two: David, Absalom, and Double Chiastic Plot Structure
9.2.4 Coda: “He Who Rules Over Men”
Questions for Discussion
Note
Chapter 10 National Narrative: Chosen Stories of Chosen People in Kings, Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah, and Esther
10.1 Sad Stories of the Death of Kings: Kings and Chronicles
10.1.1 “Cast Down the Mighty”: Highlights of Misrule and Divine Intervention in Kings
10.1.2 Doubled, with a Difference: The Book of Chronicles
10.2 Return and Rebuild: Ezra and Nehemiah, Restorers of the City
10.3 “For Such a Time as This”: Esther in a Strange Land
Questions for Discussion
Chapter 11 Drama: The Divine Tragicomedy of Job
11.1 Job as Primal Theater
11.1.1 Prologue: Nakedness and Knowledge, Again
11.1.2 Act 1: Debate Begins – Job 4–14
11.1.3 Act 2: The Pace Quickens – Job 15–21
11.1.4 Act 3: Climax, Sullen Silence, and Summation – Job 22–31
11.1.5 Act 4: Elihu, Angry Young Man – Job 32–37
11.1.6 Act 5: The LORD Answers – Job 38–42
11.1.7 Epilogue: Theodicy vs. Theophany and Satan’s Real Absence – Job 42
Questions for Discussion
Note
Chapter 12 Prophecy: Who Speaks for God?
12.1 Nevi’im: Prophets Former and Latter, Major and Minor
12.1.1 Forthtelling Prophecy: Elijah, Elisha, and Social Justice
12.1.2 Foretelling Prophecy: The Scandal of Prediction
12.1.2.1 Messianic Prophecy: The Anointed One
12.1.2.2 Apocalyptic Prophecy: Visions of the End, and the Beginning
12.2 The Major Prophets: Isaiah Through Daniel
12.2.1 Isaiah: The Art of Prophesying
12.2.2 Jeremiah and Lamentations: The Weeping Prophet of Hope
12.2.3 Ezekiel: “Son of Man, Can These Bones Live?”
12.2.4 Daniel: “Man Greatly Beloved”
12.3 The Minor Prophets: “The Day of Small Things”
12.3.1 Hosea: “Take Unto Thee a Wife of Whoredoms”
12.3.2 Joel: “The Day of the Locust”
12.3.3 Amos: “Let Justice Run Down Like Water”
12.3.4 Obadiah: “Concerning Edom”
12.3.5 Jonah: “Should I Not Pity Nineveh?”
12.3.6 Micah: Birth Pangs of the Kingdom
12.3.7 Nahum: “Woe to the Bloody City!”
12.3.8 Habakkuk: “On the Day of Wrath, the Just Shall Live by His Faith”
12.3.9 Zephaniah: “I Will Gather Those Who Sorrow”
12.3.10 Haggai: “The Desire of All Nations”
12.3.11 Zechariah: “Behold, Your King”
12.3.12 Malachi: “Who Can Endure the Day of His Coming?”
Questions for Discussion
Part 3 The New Testament/New Covenant
Chapter 13 Gospel Narrative: Kingdom Coming
13.1 Make It New: Another Covenant
13.2 “A House Divided”: Intertestamental Developments and Religious/Political Parties in Jesus’ Day
13.3 Synoptic and Johannine: Stereoscopic Vision Revisited
13.3.1 Mark, “Q,” and Synoptic Composition
13.3.2 Jesus of History, Christ of Faith?
13.4 “Tell No Man”: The Messianic Secret
13.4.1 Parables: Kingdom Secrets, “Ears to Hear”
13.5 Gospel vs. Biography: Chosen Stories of the Chosen One
13.5.1 Matthew: Jesus, Son of Abraham
13.5.1.1 Toledoth Y’shua: The Generations of Jesus
13.5.2 Mark: Jesus, Son of God
13.5.2.1 “Render Unto Caesar”: Mark and Romanitas
13.5.3 Luke-Acts: Jesus, Son of Adam
13.5.3.1 “Most Excellent Theophilus”: Luke’s Testimony
13.5.3.2 Discoursing Wonders: Luke and the Marvelous
13.5.3.3 Acts of the Holy Spirit: “The World Turned Upside Down”
13.5.3.4 Preacher, Martyr, Evangelist, and Convert: Peter, Stephen, Philip, and Saul/Paul
13.5.4 John: Jesus, Son of the Father, Word Made Flesh
13.5.4.1 “And Dwelt Among Us”: Gnosticism Refuted by the Word Made Flesh
13.5.4.2 “What Sign Do You Show Us?”: The Semeia of John
13.5.5 Ordinary Splendor: The Miracle of the Everyday
Questions for Discussion
Notes
Chapter 14 Epistle: Divine–Human Correspondence
14.1 Sent to the Nations: Pauline Epistles
14.1.1 Paul’s Letters to Churches
14.1.1.1 At the Center of Power: Romans
14.1.1.2 At the Center of Trade: 1 and 2 Corinthians
14.1.1.3 The Law of Grace: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians
14.1.1.4 Paul’s Apocalypse: 1 and 2 Thessalonians
14.1.2 Paul’s Letters to Individuals
14.1.2.1 Pastoral Epistles: 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus
14.1.2.2 “More Than a Slave”: Philemon
14.2 General Epistles: Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, Jude
14.2.1 Better Than Moses: The Letter to the Hebrews
14.2.2 Trials of the Faith that Works: James
14.2.3 The Forge of Persecution and the Cancer of Corruption: 1 and 2 Peter
14.2.4 Fire and Hope: Jude
14.3 Johannine Epistles: “God is Love”
Questions for Discussion
Chapter 15 New Testament Apocalypse: Kingdom Come
15.1 Little Apocalypses: The Gospels and Epistles
15.2 “An Angel Standing in the Sun”: The Brilliant Difficulties of Revelation
15.2.1 Fearful Symmetry: Structuring the Vision
15.2.2 Theatrum Mundi: Staging the Vision
15.2.3 “The Words of This Book”: Speaking the Vision
15.2.4 “If Anyone Adds … and Takes Away”: Interpreting the Vision
15.2.4.1 Preterist: Apocalypse Then
15.2.4.2 Historicist: Apocalypse Then to Now
15.2.4.3 Futurist: Apocalypse Soon
15.2.4.4 Spiritual/Symbolist: Apocalypse Now – and Always
15.2.5 The Three-Fold Answer: A Symbolic Drama of Past, Present, and Future
15.3 Full Circle: A Tree in a Garden
Questions for Discussion
Appendix 1 Suggestions for Further Reading
Appendix 2 Boxes and Illustrations
Index
EULA