Summary and Reflection
Different Literary Genres
The different genres of the Bible are: historical narrative, law, wisdom literature, poetry, prophecy, apocalyptic literature, gospels and epistles. Some books of the Bible blend genres, so it is difficult to say, for instance, that Matthew is of the gospel genre when it also appears to be an historical narrative as well. Most books, however, will be predominantly of one of these genres.
The historical narrative genre tells the history of the Hebrews and the early Christians. Acts in the New Testament is a perfect example of a historical narrative as it tells what the Apostles did after being filled with the Holy Ghost. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are also of this genre, as is the Old Testament books of Joshua, Genesis, Exodus, Kings, Chronicles and several others. A little less than half of all Scripture is written in the historical narrative genre. Thus, it should be viewed as a historical document as much as a religious one.
The law genre focuses on moral, ceremonial and civil law, and it is primarily found in the Old Testament, in the books Leviticus and Numbers. However, some of the Epistles, like those to Titus or Timothy, could be considered as pertaining to the law genre in the Christian New Testament, but they are not strictly of this genre.
The poetry genre is Scripture that is composed in verse. Psalms, Lamentations and the Song of Solomon are the main examples of this genre. These books can be viewed as prayers, acts of thanksgiving, or sources of meditation on Gods goodness. The Wisdom genre, although not written like poetry, is similar in that it is the collected wisdom of generations of good people, their maxims and thoughts set down in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, with some even arguing that Job is of the Wisdom genre.
The prophecy genre focuses on messages that come from God to His prophets and that are meant for the people. Sometimes they are warnings, but not always. The prophecy genre is sometimes interwoven into historical narratives. Other times books like Isaiah, Ezekiel and Daniel stand on their own as examples of this genre. Apocalyptic literature is similar but it is more about the end times and not just about some future event like in the prophecy genre. The most famous example of the Apocalyptic genre is the Book of Apocalypse or Revelation as it is also called. Some Old Testament literature is also considered Apocalyptic, such as parts of Isaiah, Joel and Daniel. Matthew 24-25...
The ones by Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the synoptic gospels because they recount the same events. John recounts some events that are not found in the other three.
The epistle genre is Scripture that is composed in the form of a letter. The epistles are all addressed to a person or community and have a main idea or ideas that they touch upon. Half of the New Testament is of the epistle genre. Some examples of these are Romans, Corinthians, Peter, James, John, and Jude.
Major Motif/Theme from Scripture: Faith
Faith is a two-way street in Scripture. God is faithful to those who are faithful to Him. There are several Old Testament characters who demonstrate this conceptsuch as Ruth and David and othersand in the New Testament there are several instances where Christ extols the faith of those who show trust in Him (as in Luke 7:9 when Christ marvels at the faith of the pagan Roman...
…the mouths of lions, Quenched the
violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the
aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had
trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of
bonds and
imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the
Earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:33-40)
In this epistle, it is stated clearly that faith is what enables people to accomplish great thingsrighteousness, overcoming violence, escaping from evil, resurrection from the dead. Faith is what helps one to enduremockings, beatings, persecutions and imprisonment. Faith is what allows one to continue on, knowing that one will be made perfect in Gods grace through faith, as so many others were before.
Conclusion
Faith is a central aspct of the Christian religion and it is central to the entire story of the Jews and the Savior that came to redeem them and the whole world. Faithlessness started off the entire drama of human suffering. Faith alonefaith in God and in His Sonis what could end that drama and bring Gods sons and daughters to the place of perfect happiness: Heaven where the beatific vision could be enjoyed by those whose faith was rewarded with eternal bliss, beholding the God of all for all…
