Literary Genres in the Bible

The Bible functions as a guide which paints a picture on what it looks like to be a Christ follower.

It could have been a set of bullet points of “do this” and “don’t do that”, but instead it's a series of

narrative, poetry, and discourse. Why do you think we are not simply given a list of what to

think?

Consider what Paul tells us about how different Christianity can look in Romans 14 and 1

Corinthians 8. For a narrative analysis compare Daniel and Esther who lived in a similar context

but behaved very differently: Daniel’s story is thoroughly holding to following God whereas

Esther’s doesn’t mention anything specific about Judaism or even God.

Narrative theology structures events in a certain way to get you to consider a deeper point. The

point is not to copy the action of the characters, but to learn for what the story is trying to tell us.

How can we read these texts as more than just an event in the past?

An interesting exercise to see how different theological points change how a narrative is

structured is the gospels. Consider reading an account that is shared between the gospels and

see how each author’s perspective changes what they emphasize or how they order events.

Poetry uses a lot of images to communicate with us beyond logic into new ways of thinking. The

usage of imagination and creative thinking exposes new dimensions that logical reasoning

cannot. What are some ways you can use imagination to figure out new ways in following

Christ?

Look to the example of the prophets in what theological imagination can look like. Consider

reading Isaiah 55-65 straight through which paints a picture to help us understand what it

means for God to renew creation.

Discourse uses reasoning and logic to draw out the implications of what it looks like to follow

God. There are a variety of ways we can draw out the meaning of an event and how it relates to

us. How can you draw out a logical chain of what it looks like to follow Christ?

Try to follow the multiple logical chains that Paul uses to draw out the meaning of the crucifixion.

Compare how in Galatians he uses the crucifixion to challenge gender and racial divisions, and

then in Colossians uses it to argue that we are not bound to arbitrary religious rules, and then

again in 1 Corinthians to talk about what Christian morality and practice looks like.

There is not one genre in Scripture, not even one genre within a single book, but the multiplicity

of all these elements woven together. As we develop a more nuanced understanding of what

Scripture is telling us, we learn to read it in many diverse ways which can complement and

challenge how we process.