 Spiritual: March 20, 2024 Issue [#12472] |
This week: Biblical Writing Styles Edited by: Jeff  
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About The Editor: Greetings! My name is Jeff and I'm one of your regular editors for the official Spiritual Newsletter! I've been a member of Writing.com since 2003, and have edited more than 400 newsletters across the site during that time. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via email or the handy feedback field at the bottom of this newsletter! 
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Biblical Writing Styles
In what is probably not a surprise to many, the Holy Bible isn't one book. Rather, it's a collection of many books (66 of them according to most modern Protestant Bible translations, although the Catholic canon actually includes 73 books, and the Orthodox canon has 81) written by many different authors over a period of some 1,500 to 1,600 years. When you consider that, it's probably not all that surprising to learn that there are also multiple different types of writing in the Bible as well.
In terms of big picture genres, there are three main ones in the Bible:
 Narrative (approx. 44% of the Bible)
Poetry (approx. 33% of the Bible)
Prose Discourse (approx. 23% of the Bible)
Some scholars will break that up into smaller subgenres (some will include categories like "law," "history," "genealogy," and "apocalyptic" as literary styles), but those are the three basic forms. Kind of like some people consider steampunk, urban fantasy, space opera, and alternate history valid genres in their own right, but others will just generally classify them under the headings of "science fiction" and/or "fantasy."
Narrative refers to books of the Bible that tell a story. Whether you're talking about the creation story in Genesis, the second coming story in Revelation, or books like Exodus, Judges, etc., these books primarily communicate their message through the medium of story.
Poetry refers to those books of the Bible that communicate through, well, poetry. The Psalms and Proverbs are probably the most famous versions of Biblical poetry, but this style of writing also includes the books of Job, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.
Prose Discourse refers to speeches, letters, essays, and other styles of writing intended to build a sequence of ideas or thoughts for the sake of making a compelling argument. This is where you'll often find a lot of the other subgenres collected, including Law (Leviticus), Genealogy (Numbers), and Letters (Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, Corinthians, etc.).
Where a lot of the debate over the accuracy and inerrancy in the Bible comes from are fundamental disagreements about what kind of literary style someone is reading. One of the many divisive arguments among Christians is how old the Earth is. Many "Young Earthers" count time literally starting with Genesis. It took God seven days to create the heavens and the Earth, he created Adam, and if you trace the genealogy down from Adam, you get approximately 6,000 years. "Old Earthers" on the other hand, which are a relatively recent development (in the past few hundred years), look at science and other secular data and say that the Earth is actually billions of years old.
How can we possibly reconcile the two?
One explanation is that Genesis was never meant to be a scientific text or a history book, but rather, a story. And as such, there may have been creative license taken with the language. How does anyone know that the "days" that God worked were limited to twenty-four hours of time? According to Genesis 1, on the "first day," God created the heavens, the earth, and light. On the "second day," God established day and night. On the "third day," God created the land and seas, and all vegetation. And so on and so forth. While not ruling out the possibility that an omnipotent being could accomplish those things instantaneously, isn't it also possible that a "day" to an eternal being could be years, or centuries, or even millennia? Psalm 90:4 even says, "A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night." Recognizing that "the first day" in Genesis could, in fact, be eons of time, is one way to reconcile Biblical genealogies with what modern science tells us about the age of the Earth.
These kinds of questions can be found all over the Bible. With dozens of authors over hundreds of years telling different kinds of stories, it's not surprising that there are some discrepancies if you treat every word in the Bible as if it's scientific data. But then again, that's not what the Bible is intended to be, any more than different kinds of books in the library are meant for different purposes. If you wanted to learn specific information about genealogy, you wouldn't go looking into the Contemporary Fiction section for answers. Similarly, if someone handed you an old science fiction story from Jules Verne or H.G. Wells, you wouldn't treat it like a nonfiction textbook for modern-day science. And yet that's often what people do when they read the Bible; use excerpts from one type of Biblical writing and using it to draw a conclusion in a different sphere of human understanding.
That's not to say that the Bible is wrong or incorrect in the information presented. But it's important not to draw the wrong or incorrect conclusions about what the Bible is saying. The best way to avoid that, just like any other thing you're reading, is to first and foremost figuring out what you're reading and what its purpose is. There are comparatively few places in the Bible that deal in absolute facts and hard data. Most of the Bible is a story, and stories aren't always black and white with facts and details.
Until next time,
Jeff
If you're interested in checking out my work:
"New & Noteworthy Things" | "Blogocentric Formulations"
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This month's official Writing.com writing contest is:
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EXCERPT: It was a rainy afternoon when Lily found herself hurrying down the crowded streets of London. Her bright yellow umbrella shielded her from the relentless downpour as she made her way to the tube station. However, amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, she suddenly realized her beloved umbrella was missing.
EXCERPT: The above verses show that revenge is a killer…literally. The story of Samson includes more revenge as the story unfolds even further. Revenge and hatred seem to go hand-in-hand. When I think of all the years of discord in the Old Testament, I can’t help but wonder how difficult it must have been not to know Jesus. The people of that time had no example to follow when emotions and events got out of hand.
EXCERPT: This quiz is designed for people who have a respect for the Bible. Please do not bother to take the quiz if you do not have such a respect.
Test your understanding and knowledge of the Bible. Look at the following subjects, and decide if you think that the Bible supports, or disapproves of them. You may be surprised what the Bible says on these important issues. The answers are printed below the quiz, but please be honest and try to answer before looking. Have fun, and let me know how you get on.
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Feedback from "Spiritual Newsletter (February 21, 2024)" about God's plans:
Without going into too much detail, I do think that certain things happen for a reason. I've also learned to listen, and not with my ears. Ever have moments where a thought crosses your mind so quickly you think you imagined it? Then you sit there and try to focus to figure out what it really was because it was so fleeting, it couldn't have been your thought.
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