Archive for the ‘Genre’ Category

  • Jonah’s Psalm

    Jun 13, 14 • Context, Faithfully, Genre, Jonah2 Comments
    Jonah’s Psalm

    The psalm in Jonah 2:2-9 (2:3-10 in Hebrew) is a fine example of a thanksgiving psalm, and everything in its expression and theology would sound fine in the book of Psalms. However, on Jonah’s lips after we have heard the narrative of chapter one, it takes a different flavour. Read in its place in the [&hellip...

  • Jonah: Thoroughly fishy!

    Jun 12, 14 • Genre, Humour, Jonah2 Comments
    Jonah: Thoroughly fishy!

    Spotting the exaggerations and humour in the book can help us understand, but it also acts as a warning!...

  • Genres of Poetry in Scripture

    Sep 25, 13 • 1 Samuel, Deuteronomy, Ecclesiastes/Qohelet, Genesis, Genre, Isaiah, Job, Judges, Numbers, Prophets, ProverbsComments Off on Genres of Poetry in Scripture
    Genres of Poetry in Scripture

    This podcast may benefit from a set of notes, either as an alternative to the audio/screencast or as a reminder (since has a high information content). It is also longer and less fun than most, so if you like miss it out unless later in the series you need to come back to it for [&hellip...

  • Is there such a thing as (biblical) Hebrew Poetry?

    Sep 18, 13 • Genre2 Comments
    Is there such a thing as (biblical) Hebrew Poetry?

    This is a scholarly debate with no consensus. As scholarly debates go this one is rather technical. Yet in 5 minutes (well actually 6) I’ll try to give you the core essential issue, and also suggest how awareness of this can help us read the Bible better.   Please let me know whether I succeeded!...

  • Genres in the Bible: part 2: Prose and Poetry

    Sep 4, 13 • Genre, Psalms2 Comments
    Genres in the Bible: part 2: Prose and Poetry

    The distinction between prose and poetry is probably the most useful way of grouping all Bible texts into just two sorts (though as we’ll see this binary classification is an over simplification). For this brief look at the two sorts (genres) of writing we will ask: What is poetry? With a bonus extra “big word” [&hellip...

  • Genres in the Bible: Part 1: Introducing Genre

    Sep 2, 13 • Genre2 Comments
    Genres in the Bible: Part 1: Introducing Genre

    The first of a series on “Genres in the Bible” is an introduction, so very general and just introduction. The series will soon get into deeper stuff πŸ˜‰ The graphic of the “Bible Library” comes from this post: http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/blog&#...

  • Casuistic and Apodictic: part 1: What the terms mean (video version)

    Casuistic and Apodictic: part 1: What the terms mean (video version)

    Here’s a video version of a podcast I did a while back, about one of the most dull-sounding topics in biblical studies πŸ™ Yet distinguishing these two (whether or not you remember the names) is vital to understanding the New Testament! Tomorrow I’ll explain why πŸ™‚...

  • E100 Week 9: Psalms and Proverbs

    Jun 13, 10 • E100, Genre, Proverbs, PsalmsComments Off on E100 Week 9: Psalms and Proverbs
    E100 Week 9: Psalms and Proverbs

    This week’s 5 is a somewhat artificial collection, putting together two different things. Yet both Psalms and Proverbs work differently from the narrative/history and prophecy that comprise the bulk of the Old Testament, and both are used a lot by Christians along with Genesis and Isaiah (while most of the Old Testament lies unread the [&hellip...

  • Arguing with God: Jer 12:1-4

    May 19, 07 • Arguing with God, Complaint, Genre1 Comment
    Arguing with God: Jer 12:1-4

    In What is the Bible (Part 1) I talked of the Bible as witness, and mentioned stories where Abraham and Amos haggle with God, and ended with a reference to arguing with God in the Bible. Here I’ll begin to explore Jeremiah’s side of the conversation from Jer 12:1-4 (we’ll get to God’s reply later!) [&hellip...

  • Jonah pt.2: Jon 1:3 – What’s going on?

    Apr 25, 07 • Genre, JonahComments Off on Jonah pt.2: Jon 1:3 – What’s going on?
    Jonah pt.2: Jon 1:3 – What’s going on?

    So, here’s the second part of the Jonah series. This time we focus on 1:3. Again we end with a question – but at least the right question is better than the wrong answer!  ...