Approaching the Bible as Literature

An Interactive Workbook

Schmidt

• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781498281560
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

What do you think the Bible says? How does the way the Bible is written affect its meaning? Here is a concise introduction that invites you to interact with the primary text. Interspersed with brief explanations of biblical background and writing techniques are thought-provoking questions about specific readings with space provided for response. This user-engaging approach is enhanced by its sensitivity to readers across the spectrum of belief, from atheist to devout believer. So whether you come to the subject to satisfy historical interest or to appreciate the artistry of Scripture, Approaching the Bible as Literature will deepen your understanding.

Section One

Before “In the Beginning”

Chapter 1

Approaching the Bible as Literature

How and Why?

Belief and Unbelief in the Study of the Bible

How would you complete this sentence from the options listed below? The Bible is . . .

—God’s written Word, fully inspired, true in every detail, without error of any kind.

—the Word of God, including some human errors or inconsistencies that do not diminish its unique status as the definitive guide for faith and conduct.

—not quite the Word of God, but it contains the Word of God, inspirational nuggets that people may find here and there within it.

—a significant and inspirational collection of writings that merits our study along with the sacred texts of other religions.

—essential for an understanding of Western civilization, ideas, and literature, but not inspired in a religious sense.

—the foundational text for Judaism and Christianity, but not important beyond its significance for the understanding of these religions.

—a boring compilation of doctrine, commandments, and obscure ancient history that I wouldn’t read if you paid me.

—a dangerous and potentially divisive book that has influenced some good but has also contributed to sexism, racism, sectarianism, and war.

—a book about which I know so little that I decline to choose one of these options.

—none of the above, but [compose your own response].

It is likely that if you are reading this book for a class with fifteen or more students, at least one of your classmates will check each of these responses. Do you welcome such variety? Do you think that some of the options listed above are terribly wrong? Are you open to changing your own response based on further study? Are you concerned that the text, the teacher, or some of your classmates may have an agenda to influence you? Are these questions beginning to make you uncomfortable? Welcome to diversity of the mind—which, unlike other kinds of diversity, may be invisible not only to the naked eye but also to the inward eye, because we don’t always know what we think ourselves until we think longer and more deeply. Now multiply your own combination of certainties and uncertainties by the number of your fellow students, and you begin to appreciate the almost infinite and ever-changing variety of responses to that seemingly simple question: What is the Bible? To encounter this kind of diversity is to face great challenges—and great possibilities for personal and interpersonal growth.

Several years ago, I was asked to teach a college course on the Bible as literature. Knowing that my students would represent the full spectrum of responses listed above, I looked for a textbook that would be helpful to all. I was frustrated, however, to find book after book that I knew would alienate one or another group of students. Some texts assume Christian readers and even include suggestions for prayer and personal response. Other texts, claiming to be neutral in matters of faith, undermine traditional beliefs by mentioning only the most skeptical views regarding biblical authorship and historical accuracy.

A more inclusive approach is possible. One can gain much from a study of the Bible without belief, and one can take a scholarly approach to the Bible while maintaining a vibrant faith. Why shouldn’t a textbook convey sensitivity to the diversity present in most classrooms?

While it may not be possible to write a text that is perfectly neutral, it should be possible to impart useful knowledge with care and respect for students at every point along the spectrum of belief. My classroom experience in both secular and confessional institutions has shown me that students who feel safe and respected engage in healthy dialogue with each other and with the instructor. This safety includes not only the tone of the classroom but also the books that students are assigned to read. Conversely, when groups or individuals perceive that their belief or skepticism is under attack, they become silent, defensive, or even aggressive. If we teachers “play it safe” by pushing personal beliefs out of the classroom, the result is further ignorance and fear among those who differ. The more challenging but more rewarding approach is to engage in open dialogue that neither belittles nor proselytizes.

Is this a hopeless ideal? I do not think so. For some, the Bible inspires passionate conviction and the hope to convert others; conversely, some who reject the Bible’s authority are evangelistic about their skepticism. There is a wide range between these two approaches, and no reader comes to this study without some already established opinions and motives. But if we openly acknowledge our assumptions and objectives—yes, including the instructor’s—we build trust and tolerance, and ultimately we render our own beliefs more attractive.

Terminology of the Bible

Christians refer to the two parts of their Bible as the Old and New Testaments. By this distinction they mean that God made a testament (alternately covenant or agreement), involving promises and obligations, to establish the Jews as a nation, and this story is developed in the books of the Old Testament. Christians believe, further, that Jesus established a new testament to complete the old, and the books that explain this are consequently known as the New Testament. Jews, who for the most part do not consider Jesus their messiah, recognize only the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) as scripture or inspired writing, and the books are in somewhat different order. Because this text quotes from The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible (NRSV), which follows the Christian sequence of books and refers to the older collection as the Old Testament, I will use that term here. I will also use the traditional designations for date BC (before Christ) and AD (anno domini, in the year of our Lord) rather than BCE (before common/Christian/current era) and CE (common/Christian/current era), which often appear in scholarly writings. My choices are merely stylistic: I prefer to use the most familiar terms whenever possible in an introductory-level text.

Who wrote the Bible, and when? This is a matter of great complexity and vigorous debate. The thirty-nine books of the Old Testament were written over many centuries by at least thirty different authors. The twenty-seven books of the New Testament were written from about AD 50–100, and they are attributed to nine different authors. But names are attached to many books by tradition, not by indication in the documents themselves. Even when names are given, questions may arise; as a result, numerous books of the Old Testament and several books of the New Testament are subject to considerable dispute regarding authorship and time of origin.

The Bible is not organized in a strictly chronological sequence. In fact, not all Bibles follow the same order or number of books. Jews, Catholics, and Protestants organize the Old Testament differently; furthermore, some Bibles include an additional group of writings known as the Apocrypha, which only Roman Catholics include in the canon (official list of books approved as Scripture). The first part of the Old Testament, Genesis through Kings, is generally chronological. Books containing wisdom, poetry, and prophecy follow and are organized by a mix of tradition and chronology. In the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew is first by tradition, probably because of its length and close relation to the Old Testament. The Book of Acts follows the four Gospels with a record of the beginnings of Christianity. Next are Paul’s letters, organized by length—first to churches, then to individuals. There is no apparent pattern to the sequence of the remaining New Testament letters except that longer letters attributed to Peter and John are followed by their shorter letters, and Revelation is the last book because it describes the end of time.

Why Study the Bible as Literature?

Most of us want to broaden and deepen our understanding of the world and of ourselves. We broaden our understanding by learning how others think and live, not only in our own time but also in times past. We deepen our understanding by exploring ideas and issues that we believe are important. Because the ancient Jewish and early Christian writings have done so much to shape our world, knowledge about them can help both to broaden and to deepen us. Our study of these texts helps us to understand our history, the development of human thought, and the techniques used to convey important ideas.

All of this is useful even apart from issues of personal faith. Some prefer to study the Bible for purely educational reasons independently of its claims to present ultimate truths. Others seek further information about the Bible to help decide for themselves if it is inspired. Still others approach the Bible as believers who hope to find their faith supported and enriched by new perspectives on their sacred texts. All of these agendas can be served by consideration of the Bible as literature.

How can one text be fair to such a diversity of readers? Later in the book, for example, we will examine the effect of communicating the life and teachings of Jesus in story form in four separate Gospels. We will not, however, attempt to determine if Jesus was raised from the dead or if he is humanity’s savior. These are important historical and doctrinal questions with potentially life-changing and world-changing implications—but they are beyond the scope of this book. Our concerns will be literary: how do the circumstances of the writers and the techniques they employed work to convey their message? The fact that this is not an “ultimate” question should not diminish the importance of our task. For people of faith, a literary approach to Scripture may reveal God in new ways: perhaps as an artist who works with words just as with sunsets and waterfalls. For those whose interest is simply educational, this literary approach may reveal why these writings have stood the test of time to exert such a great influence on human culture. For those trying to evaluate various truth claims, a literary approach may help to confirm or deny the notion of the Bible as unique or profound. In other words, whatever agenda the reader brings to the Bible, its consideration as literature can serve that agenda.

The Perspective of the Writer

Does it matter to our study if I, as the writer of this textbook, or you its reader, regard the Bible as inspired or as only a book of historical importance? First, it is useful to ask what we mean by inspired. To inspire means literally to breathe spirit into something, and most readers would agree that the Bible has a lot of spirit, at least in the sense of exerting influence. But traditionally, the inspiration of the Bible has been understood to mean that God’s Spirit “breathed” divine truth into the text to make it a reliable guide for faith and practice. Beliefs about how this “breathing” worked vary, from God practically moving the biblical writers’ pens across the pages to writers of faith crafting works that were subsequently recognized as Scripture by the community of faith. Now, it is true that those who grant the Bible unique status also find their faith influenced by other kinds of literature: sermons, hymns, novels, nonfiction books, even film scripts. In this sense, inspiration is present in many places, but without quite the level of authority granted to the Bible. People of faith do not, however, have a corner on the term. Nonbelievers who reject any supernatural element in writing might still use the terms “inspired” or “inspiring” for a literary work that is brilliantly crafted or profoundly insightful. We all read to know that we are not alone, to find wisdom, guidance, and meaning. So whether we regard the Bible as “God-breathed” or read it only for its historical significance, we cannot separate our reading of this or any important work from our search for value and meaning, from our craving for the artful and the profound. In this sense, any reading of the Bible is part of a search for inspiration, even if the word is understood in secular terms.

So what of my own beliefs, and why mention them? Every writer or teacher brings a perspective, and the reader should suspect those who claim to be “objective” or “scholarly”: common code words for a not-so-hidden agenda. If a writer or teacher is open about personal commitments, students can take those beliefs into account as part of the learning process.

As a Christian, I choose to regard the Bible as a dependable guide to help me live in right relationship with God and with other people. At the same time, I understand that the Bible is complex, written in ancient languages over centuries and containing...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Section 1: Before “In the Beginning”
• Section 2: Story and Meaning in Historical Narratives
• Section 3: Poetry, Problems, and Promise in Psalms, Prophecy, and Wisdom
• Section 4: The Not-So-Silent Silent Years
• Section 5: Gospel and the Life and Teachings of Jesus
• Section 6: Parable as Invitation to the Kingdom and Discipleship
• Section 7: Epistle as Window into the Life of the Early Church
• Section 8: Apocalyptic and Future Hope in the Book of Revelation
• Appendix A: Glossary
• Appendix B: Further Reading and Research