Reading: The Literary Element

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth: An Outline of Reformed Biblical Hermeneutics
Dr. Jeffrey A. D. Weima

Major Elements of a Reformed Hermeneutic

1. The Holy Spirit Element

2. The Grammatical Element

3. The Literary Element

4. The Historical Element

5. The Theological Element

The Literary Element

Genre: A technical term for different types of writings or categories of literature

Types of Genres in Scripture

• History: Genesis, Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Acts
• Letters: Paul (13), John (3), Peter (2), James, Hebrews, Jude, Revelation 2-3
• Poetry: Psalms, Song of Songs, much of prophetic material
• Wisdom: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job, some Psalms, James
• Apocalyptic: Revelation, Daniel 7-12, Zechariah, parts of Ezekiel, Mark 13
• Legal: parts of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
• Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
• Parables: Four Gospels, parable of Nathan to David (2 Samuel 12:1-4)

Psalm 92:1-2 (Poetry: "Merismus”)

"It is good to praise the Lord
    and make music to your name, O Most High,
  to proclaim your love in the morning
    and your faithfulness at night.”

Matthew 5:29 (Hyperbole)

"If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away.”

Revelation 13:1 (Apocalyptic)

"And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems upon its horns and a blasphemous name upon its heads."

1998  Elephant = ?    Noose = ?

1997  City = ?     Dragon = ?

Proverbs 26:4-5 (Wisdom)

"Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
   or you will be like him yourself.
Answer a fool according to his folly,
   or he will be wise in his own eyes.”

Luke 16:19-31 (Parable: Rich Man and Lazarus)

¹⁹ "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. ²⁰ At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores ²¹ and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

²² "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴ So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'

²⁵ "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'

²⁷ "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, ²⁸ for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

²⁹ "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'

³⁰ "'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'

³¹ "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'”

• Meaning: Wrong to make certain conclusions based on literal details of the parable

Biblical Literary Devices

1. Literary Devices in Letters:
Example: "The Appeal Formula"

A. Form: 4 main parts

1. Verb "I appeal" (παρακαλῶ) or its synonym "I ask" (ἐρωτῶ) in the first person
   
2. The recipients of the appeal
   
3. Prepositional phrase indicating source of sender's authority to appeal (this element typically occurs only in official correspondence and not in private letters)
   
4. Content of the appeal: introduced by a "that" (ὅτι  or ἵνα) clause

Paul's letters: Four basic elements

Example: Romans12:1
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship"

1. The verb: "I appeal"
   
2. The recipients: "to you, brothers"
   
3. Prepositional phrase: "by the mercies of God"
4. The content of the appeal: "that you present ..."
   

B. Function

• Primary function: to indicate a major transition in the text
  

• Secondary function: appeal formula used in official correspondence when writer had a good relationship with recipients and confidently expected them to do contents of letter

C. Appeal Formula in Philemon

"Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and command you to do what you ought to do, more because of love I appeal--I, Paul, an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus--I appeal to you concerning my child, to whom I gave birth in prison, Onesimus..." (vv 8-10)

2. Literary Devices in Hebrew Poetry:
Example: Inclusio

• inclusio (sometimes referred to as bracketing or envelope structure): the repetition of a key word, phrase or sentence at the beginning and ending of a literary unit, thereby functioning as bookends and marking the boundaries of that unit
  

Psalm 118:1-29

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever" (verse 1)
"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever (verse 29)

Common Convictions of Literary Criticism:

1. an appreciation for the sophisticated artistry and aesthetic quality of the text

• recognizes that the Bible is the result of conscious composition, careful patterning, and the strategic use of literary conventions prevalent in its day
• thus literary approach to scripture is necessary

2. a preoccupation with the form of the text

• concern not just on content of the text (what is said) but also on form of the text (how it is said)
• concern with genre and how it impacts interpretation
• concern with identifying the various literary conventions used by a biblical author and understanding what function these conventions have
• "We cannot fully comprehend the 'what' of New Testament writers (their religious content) without first paying attention to the 'how' (the literary modes in which the content is embodied)." (Leland Ryken, "The Literature of the New Testament," A Complete Literary Guide to the Bible, eds. L. Ryken and T. Longman; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993, p. 367)
• Weima's slogan: "Form supplements but does not supplant content.”

3. concern with treating texts as finished wholes

• unlike liberal scholars who are preoccupied with various sources lying behind biblical text and how author redacted these sources
• unlike conservative scholars who are pre-occupied with each individual part of text (e.g. verse-by-verse commentary) and thus "miss the forest for the trees”

4. exhibits an ahistorical orientation

• the historical uncertainties surrounding the author, sources, social context and readers of biblical text cause some modern interpreters to ignore historical questions and instead concentrate on literary features of the text
• example: treatment of individual Psalms