Learning the POETICS of the TextLiterary Skills to read Early Hebrew

HistoryVanderEnde

2014 – HIST 5033 Johnson University

Literary Reading Basics

Presentation 2: Content and Form

Overview: POETICS involves

Working in UNITS of Scripture Basic shape of a UNIT Ways to READ UNITS of Scripture Value and Necessity reading UNITS

Literary Analysis of the CONTENT of the unit The Mighty Deeds of God as Meta-Content of Scripture Understanding the GENRE of the unit Discovering the FORM (structure) of the Unit Discovering the MOVEMENT or Drama of the text

(narrativity) Applying LITERARY features of the text

The impact of CONCRETENESS The dynamics of AMBIGUITY The implications of ANALOGY The emotion of FIGURES OF SPEECH

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God’s Manifested in 5 Mighty Historical Deeds

Creation

Israel

New Creation

Pentecost

Incarnation

Teleological Structure - Climactic

CreationThe world as we know it

Exodus The Nation of Israel

IncarnationChrist Ascended

PentecostThe Church Universal

NewCreation

The Eternal Kingdom of our Lord

Present

Creation

Th

e w

orl

d a

s w

e kn

ow

it

Exodus

Th

e N

atio

n o

f Is

rael

Incarnation

Ch

rist

In

carn

ate

- A

scen

ded

Pentecost

Th

e C

hu

rch

Un

iver

sal

NewCreation

New

Hea

ven

an

d E

arth

NOW

Intermediate Periods of Providence

Finished

But

Still Evident

InProcess

InAn-ti-ci-pa-tion

Eternity to come

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Content of each UNIT refers to one of these mighty deeds

Gen. 11:1-9

Revelation 1-2

Psalm 119Luke 24

Epistle to Titus

Creation

Israel

New Creation

Pentecost

Incarnation

Various Genres

Narrative – OT Historical – Gospels and Acts Reveals the deeds/words of God and how humans

respond to these deeds/words Poetry – Psalter

Reveals how the faithful respond to God as the deeds/words of God are understood and lived out

Poetry – Wisdom and Epistles Reveals how the faithful live and struggle as the deeds of

God unfold in the midst of evil Poetry – Prophets

Reveals how God responds to the forgetting of the words/deeds He manifested

Poetry – Apocalyptic Reveals the end of the deeds of God and how the earth

and her inhabitants relate to this ending

Narrative = Hearing the Story what Goddid, does and will do – Sermon as Information - Story

Didactic = Application - how to live as believer and church in a broken world

Prophetic = Understanding that God continues His work even without us. Repentance, Renewal and Hope

Apocalyptic - Faith God will finish what He began – Suffering, Joy and Hope

Worship = Responding in Liturgy to what God did, does and will do – The Sermon as Worship

Genre Structure

Historical OT BooksGospel

sActs

LIT

UR

GIC

AL

GE

NR

E

WIS

DO

M G

EN

RE

PR

OP

HE

TIC

GE

NR

E

EP

IST

OL

AR

Y G

EN

RE

AP

OC

ALY

PT

IC

GE

NR

E

REMEMBRANCE - Through Recital in Liturgy, Education and Proclamation

POETICS involves

Working in UNITS of Scripture Understanding the GENRE of the unit The CONTENT of the unit

Five mighty deeds (Grammatical and Lexical Studies) Literary power of words

Discovering the FORM (structure) of the Unit

Discovering the MOVEMENT or Drama of the text

Analyzing the General LITERARY features of the text The impact of CONCRETENESS The dynamics of AMBIGUITY The implications of ANALOGY The color of FIGURES OF SPEECH

Metaphor, Simile Hyperbole Metonymy etc.

Naar Fokkelman 'Dichtkunst' pg. 46

Narrative Genre

1. Letters / Sounds2. Syllables3. Words / phrase

4. Facts5. Events / Episodes

6. Scenes and Acts

7. Story

8. Short Cycle9. Long cycle

10. Book

PhonologyMorphology

Syntax = GrammarSemantics =

HermenetuticsIntra-Textual

TheologicalInsights

Inter-Textual

Gen 25

Naar Fokkelman 'Dichtkunst' pg. 46

Poetic Genre

1. Sounds2. Syllables3. Words / phrase

4. Colon - Stichon

5. Strophe

6. Stanza

7. Poem

9. Collection

10. Psalms

PhenologyMorphology

Semiotics

Syntax = GrammarSemantics = HermeneuticsIntra-Textual

TheologicalInsights

Inter-Textual

Gen 99

Get the Movement En

din

g

Intro

A B

SCENES and / or ACTS

EVENTS - EPISODES

F A C T S

Get the Movement

B

A

A

B

SCENES and / or ACTS

EVENTS - EPISODES

F A C T S

A One Scene Story – Gen 25:19-26

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One Scene:Birth story of Jacob and

Esau

Three Episodes:Barrenness and Prayer

Conception and PregnancyBirth of Twins

Sequence ofFacts

Determine the UNIT: Isaac 40 years old

Determine the UNIT: Isaac 60 years old

The FORM - Structure

21 Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If all is well, why am I like this?" So she went to inquire of the LORD. 23 And the LORD said to her:"Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger." 24 So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau's heel; so his name was called Jacob.

A Rebekah barren : prayer for children 20/1

A’ Naming of the children 25-26a

B Conception – Violent pregnancy 22

B’ Violent Delivery of twins 24

X -The Oracle

Structure! Summary1. First

Determine the unit – beginning and ending

2. SecondFind the Large Structure (Acts in large story, scenes in normal length)

3. ThirdFind the sequence of events (episodes) in each scene - what is ‘happening’ – what is the ‘movement

4. FourthLine up the facts of each event/episode and discover the interplay between the lines

FORM is the outward expression (manifesto) of the inward character / glory / meaning of what is observed through the senses. When form and inner content harmonize the form enhances the meaning and the meaning enhances the form. It is experienced as beauty, as goodness, as right, as purposeful, and above all, as meant by the Creator who blew His Spirit (character) in the human body (form), in the Scriptures

See Thomas Dubay, The Evidential Power of Beauty, chapter 3

The FORM manifest the inward content / character / glory only partially. FORM both reveals and hides. It provides us with experiential knowledge and emotions, but points also to our limitations to know. FORM therefore intuitively points us to mystery, which leads us to humility and worship

See Thomas Dubay, The Evidential Power of Beauty, chapter 3

FORM and CONTENT (meaning, purpose) may not harmonize, or even degrade one another. To put the wrong content in a good form is deceptive, to place good content in the wrong form is banal and thoughtless, to place wrong content in a wrong form is destructive and evil (though here the form and the content enforce one another)

Work sets Free in Auschwitz

Former KGB headquarters in Riga

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The Seven Creation Days

Day 1-3 - Shaping

– 1 - LIGHT

– 2 - FIRMAMENT/SEA

– 3 - LAND

Days 4-6 Filling

– 4 - LIGHT Bearers

– 5 - Birds / Fish

– 6 - Animals / Humans

7 - The SABBATH Day

The Earth wasFORMLESS and VOID

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The Fourth Day: The chiasm And God said: Let there be lights . . . To divide day-night

– Let them be for signs/seasons - days/years• Lights in firmament to give light on earth

– God made two lights– The greater to rule the day - – lesser to rule the night - starts

• In the firmament to give light on the earth– To rule over day/night

To divide the light from darkness And God saw it was good

Exercise Find the form (structure) of Genesis 11:1-9

– Find the events and facts– What is the specific structure

Retell the content of this story in your own words– Use the inclusio – Use the structure –

• the movement from episode to episode• The movement from fact to fact

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