Literary Genre
	Each Literary genre has its distinctive features. Each has its own "rules" or proceedures. This, in turn, affects how we read and interpret a work of literature...Knowing how a genre works will spare us from misinterpretations. -Leland Ryken

Literary Form

Too often the Bible is seen as a theological outline with prooftexts. This is not the case at all. The Bible is literature and it has a wide range of genres represented. Literary genre or form refers to the type of literature. As with other areas we have studied, there is overlap in these categories. For instance, a book may be primarily historical, but it may contain a song, which would be poetic. Another book may be historical and contain as part of its recorded history a parable, or a proverb. It is important that we recognize these different types of literature and note that one book may contain several types. Following are a list of some of the more common types of literature found in scripture.

1. Exposition/Didactic/Teaching - This is the type we are most familiar with as westerners. It is a straightforward, well reasoned piece of writing. The epistles are largely didactic. They are letters that were written to address certain concerns or doctrines. This type of literature appeals to the intellect, thus special attention should be given to the logical developments in the letters.
2. Historical - This type of literature simply records events that took place. This designation is a bit simple, but it will work well for what we are aiming at in this class. Exodus is an example of historical literature. The gospels also are historical in nature. The gospels, while historical, are also biographical because they focus on the life of one person, Jesus. Historical literature is marked by the use of concrete places, events, people, etc. It is often chronological, but not always. This is true with more modern histories as well. It may be necessary to record previous developments in a war to show how they play into the current situation of a history text. So it is not always chronological, but as a general rule historical literature progresses chronologically.
3. Parable - A Parable is a short story which teaches a moral lesson. It is not factual, but is true to life. "Parable" means "to throw along side." Thus a parable is a story that is thrown along side of a teaching to help illustrate. Thus it consists of two parts: a spiritual truth that is taught, and the physical story that illustrates the teaching.
4. Poetry - Poetry is identified by the heavy use of figurative language, by its emotional content, and by its structure. Poetry is highly structured, often having a rhythm to it. Hebrew poetry (the kind we are most interested in) is marked by parallels. There a various kinds of parallels, but we will consider three of them here:
   1. Synonymous Parallelism - This is where the second line repeats the same idea of the first line but using different words. For example, Proverbs 19: 5 says:
      A false witness will not go unpunished
      And he who tells lies will not escape.
      These two lines are saying the same thing but using slightly different words.
   2. Antithetical Parallelism - This is the opposite of synonymous parallelism. In this form, the second line says the opposite of the first. For example, Proverbs 13:1 says:
      A wise son accepts his fathers discipline
      But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
      Here the scoffer of the second line is contrasted with the wise son of the first line.
   3. Synthetic Parallelism - This is a little harder to recognize, but this form builds on itself. The second line will reflect the first but add to it. For example, Psalm 92:9 says:
      For behold Thine enemies O LORD
      For behold Thine enemies will perish
      All who do iniquity will be scattered.
      Here we see the following lines adding to or building onto the first.
5. Proverbs/Wisdom - This literature is a collection of short pithy sayings that are true to life. They are not promises, but rules of thumb. These often make use of parallelisms just like poetry.
6. Apocalyptic - This type of literature is marked by highly symbolic terms. The books of Daniel and Revelation are good examples of apocalyptic literature. It is often prophetic in nature. This literature is also marked by cataclysmic language.

Homework

As you do your own Bible reading, devotionals, Bible studies, or as you listen to sermons and radio programs, try to identify the different types of literature you run into.