Interpreting the Bible Part 1 - Literally Literature - 063

Part one of a new series on interpreting the Bible starts this week.  Throughout the course of the next three episodes we will be answering the questions: How do we read the Bible as literature? How was the Bible written over time?  How do we read the Bible in and out of context?  Jeff, Mona and Allen kick everything off with a conversation laying out why the Bible should be recognized as literature and what that means for engaging the text.  Rounding out the episode is our second attempt at Pursuit of the Trivial.

Interpreting the Bible Conversation (00:30) Pursuit of the Trivial Segment (50:43)

• The Nature of Biblical Texts – Wholly Scripture, Batman! – 004 (Irenicast Episode)
• Literary Criticism
• Biblical Exegesis & Eisegesis
• Biblical Literary Genre
• Sitz im Leben
• Psalm 137 (example of violent prayers)
• Jonah
• Homer’s Iliad
• Epic of Gilgamesh
• Mark 6 (Herod vs. Jesus)
• Biblical Typology
• Allegorical Interpretation of the Bible
• Origen
• Ezekiel 16
• Biblical Chiastic Structure
• Son of Man in Daniel 7:13-14 compared with the Gospel of Mark
• 1 Corinthians 10:4
• Jump the Shark (Idiom)
• Henry Winkler Jumps the Shark... again… (YouTube Clip)
• Matthew 1 vs Luke 1
• Heart and Mind: The Four-Gospel Journey for Radical Transformation by Alexander John Shaia (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• New Oxford Annotated NRSV Bible with the Apocrypha (Book/Bible - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• How to Read the Bible as Literature by Leland Ryken (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• Blue Letter Bible (Bible Study Tools Website)
• Daniel Kirk (Contemporary Theologian)
• Struggling with Scripture by Walter Brueggemann (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• The Last Word by N.T. Wright (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• Reading the Bible Again for the First TIme: Taking the Bible Seriously but not LIterally by Marcus Borg (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• Bible Hub (Bible Study Website)

• Seinfeld (Television Show)
• Webcomic
• Cyanide and Happiness (Webcomic)
• Hyperbole and a Half (Webcomic)
• Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh - (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• The Oatmeal (Webcomic)

A great resource to dive deep into the numerous methods of interpreting the bible is a series of books called Guides to Biblical Scholarship Series. (Book Series - Amazon Affiliate Link)

Another book not mentioned in the episode that might be of some value in approaching scripture is How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)

Understand literary genre was an important topic in this week’s conversation.  Here are a couple resources for gaining a greater sense of the different literary genres in scripture.

• Plowshares & Pruning Hooks: Rethinking the Language of Biblical Prophecy and Apocalyptic by Brent Sandy (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)
• Also check out this list of Biblical genres and subgenres.

Thank you to Mike Golin for our intro and outro music.  Check out his band Soulwise.

Thank you for supporting the podcast!  Your ratings, reviews and feedback are not only encouraging to us personally, but they help others find the show.  If you appreciate the content we provide please rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher.

Join our conversations on faith and culture by interacting with us through the following links:

Read Us on our blog An Irenicon Email Us at [email protected] Follow Us on Twitter and Google+ Like Us on Facebook Listen & Subscribe to Us on iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud and TuneIn Speak to Us on our Feedback Page and the Post Evangelical Facebook Group See Us on Instagram Support Us on Amazon Love Us

This post may contain affiliate links.  An Irenicon is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com