Theological Term: Literary Genres of the Bible
Thursday, June 13, 2024 at 3:30AM 
- From the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy:
Article XIIIWE AFFIRM that awareness of the literary categories, formal and stylistic, of the various parts of Scripture is essential for proper exegesis, and hence we value genre criticism as one of the many disciplines of biblical study.
WE DENY that generic categories which negate historicity may rightly be imposed on biblical narratives which present themselves as factual.
The awareness of what kind of literature one is interpreting is essential to a correct understanding of the text. A correct genre judgment should be made to ensure correct understanding. A parable, for example, should not be treated like a chronicle, nor should poetry be interpreted as though it were a straightforward narrative. Each passage has its own genre, and the interpreter should be cognizant of the specific kind of literature it is as he attempts to interpret it. Without genre recognition an interpreter can be misled in his understanding of the passage. For example, when the prophet speaks of “trees clapping their hands” (Isa. 55:12) one could assume a kind of animism unless he recognized that this is poetry and not prose.
The Denial is directed at an illegitimate use of genre criticism by some who deny the truth of passages which are presented as factual. Some, for instance, take Adam to be a myth, whereas in Scripture he is presented as a real person. Others take Jonah to be an allegory when he is presented as a historical person and so referred to by Christ (Mat. 12:40-42). This Denial is an appropriate and timely warning not to use genre criticism as a cloak for rejecting the truth of Scripture.
Article XIVWE AFFIRM that the biblical record of events, discourses and sayings, though presented in a variety of appropriate literary forms, corresponds to historical fact.
WE DENY that any event, discourse or saying reported in Scripture was invented by the biblical writers or by the traditions they incorporated.
This article combines the emphases of Articles VI and XIII. While acknowledging the legitimacy of literary forms, this article insists that any record of events presented in Scripture must correspond to historical fact. That is, no reported event, discourse, or saying should be considered imaginary.
The Denial is even more clear than the Affirmation. It stresses that any discourse, saying, or event reported in Scripture must actually have occurred. This means that any hermeneutic or form of biblical criticism which claims that something was invented by the author must be rejected. This does not mean that a parable must be understood to represent historical facts, since a parable does not (by its very genre) purport to report an event or saying but simply to illustrate a point.
- A list of literary genres found frequently in the Bible and examples of each one:1
Historical Narrative — Genesis, Mark Geneology — 1 Chronicles 1-9, Matthew 1:1-17 Exaggeration/Hyperbole — Matthew 5:29-30, 23-24 Prophecy — Isaiah; Malachi Poetry — Joel, Amos (also prophecy) Covenant — Genesis 17:1-4; Joshua 24:1-28 Proverbs/Wisdom Literature — Proverbs, Job Psalms and Songs — Exodus 15:1-18; Psalms Letters — 1 Corinthians; 2 Peter Apocalypse —Daniel, Revelation
Learn more:
- Got Questions: How should the different genres of the Bible impact how we interpret the Bible?
- Bible Project: Literary Genres and the Stories We Tell Ourselves
- Core Christianity: What Are the Genres of the Bible and Why Do They Matter?
- Jason DeRouchie: How to Understand and Apply the Old Testament: Step 1—Genre
- Capitol Hill Baptist Church: The Bible’s Genres
- George Guthrie: Literary Genres
- Kathleen Nielson:Reviewing (and Delighting in) Biblical Genres
Related terms:
1 From 40 Questions About Interpreting the Bible by Robert Plummer.
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