What Kind of Literature?
Examining the Genre of a Preaching Text
My wife and I recently hiked to Boom Lake, the largest back-country body of water in the Canadian Rockies. After a 5K trek through the woods, we reached the pay-off: a pristine lake nestled among the peaks. But any hope of a moment of quiet contemplation vanished as we stepped out of the forest to find two fishermen in a loud conversation about their equipment.
Nothing is less interesting to a non-fisherman than a fisherman’s obsession with tackle, lures, lines, rods, and reels. But you have to admire their passion. True fishermen never stop looking for just the right combination of bait and technique to catch a fish in any given pond or stream. Lure, minnow, worms or stink bait? Spinner, jig, or fly? They study fish and habitats endlessly, to make the best possible choices, and increase their chances of catching the “big one.”
I’m no fisherman, but I think I understand their drive. As a preacher, I’m always looking for the “big one” — the big idea of a given passage. But each passage is unique, and it swims in a particular pond or stream. Different kinds of texts work differently and communicate their truths in distinctive ways. If I am to coax the right truth consistently out of every text, I must learn to read each text according to its own rules. Like a fisherman who never stops studying fish and habitats, a preacher must make a life-long endeavor of studying literary genres and forms.
Here is a broad overview seven major genres, and some questions to get the conversation started:
Historical Literature
Old Testament historical literature tells the story of Israel. Many important characters appear throughout, but the ultimate hero is God himself. Story tellers carefully arranged the narratives, using techniques such as strategic repetition, chiastic (mirrored) structures, and other subtle nuances. All of this works together to show how God works through history to accomplish his purpose.
Some questions to ask of an Old Testament Narrative:
Who are the main characters? Who is the protagonist, the antagonist, and the foil?
What is the main tension of the story? How does the tension come about, and how is it resolved?
Do any repeated words and/or phrases in the story give hints about its meaning?
What other clues (commentary, description, evaluation, etc.) does the narrator give?
What does God’s activity in this story tell us about who he is, what he requires, and/or what he is doing in the world?
Psalms
The Psalter is the worship and devotional literature of Israel. Psalms include songs of personal and corporate praise, songs with numerous specific liturgical functions, and a good many laments. Each of these functions differently, according to well-defined patterns. Some exude optimism and confidence. Others, despair. Still others bear the perspective of a song writer who has been to the depths and emerged with a fresh faith on the other side.
Some questions to ask of a psalm:
What kind of psalm is it? Song of praise? Lament? A song with a specific liturgical function?
If it is a song of praise, what are the reasons the psalmist gives for praising God? How does the psalmist invite us to praise him?
If it is a lament, what are the reasons for the psalmist’s sorrow? What reason for hope does he discover?
What flow of thought is seen in the structure of the psalm (couplets, triplets, strophes, etc.)?
What images stand out as powerful metaphors to communicate profoundly and vividly?
What hints do we get from the superscription as to the purpose and role of the psalm?
Wisdom Literature
Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes contain the reflective understanding of a people who have learned to see life through the lens of a covenant relationship with the creator. Though he is not necessarily visible on every page, each proverb and discourse assumes the foundation of an orderly, benevolent, and present God. Wisdom literature says, “This is how to live life in this world that God has made.”
Some questions to ask of wisdom literature:
What kinds of stories might be behind the conclusion expressed in this piece of wisdom?
How can you see Israel’s understanding of their relationship with the creator in the background?
If the wisdom is expressed in more than one way, how do the different statements complement one another?
Prophetic Literature
The prophets rebuke and correct a covenant breaking people. These books consist of visions, indictments, oracles, judgments, predictions of destruction and promises of deliverance. Each prophet, with a unique perspective and personality, delivers God’s message to his people for a specific moment in history. But they often bear cosmic implications for all of history as well.
Some questions to ask of prophetic literature:
Does this text contain vision, indictment, oracle, judgment, promise, or a combination of more than one?
If it is a vision, how does the vision prepare for the message that follows?
What is the basis of any indictment, judgment, or hope?
If there is an oracle from God, what truth does God reveal about his character in his message?
Gospels
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John tell the story of God’s ultimate redemptive move in history. Each of the four spins the same tale from a different angle and with a specific intent. Through miracle stories, personal encounters, parables, public discourses, and passion accounts they together paint a multidimensional yet unified picture of who Jesus is.
Questions to ask of a Gospel passage:
What form within the Gospel genre is this text? Parable? Miracle or pronouncement story? Passion narrative? Discourse?
If it is a parable, what surprising detail holds the key to unlocking the meaning?
If it is a pronouncement or miracle story, what unique truth does it communicate about who Jesus is?
How does this Gospel writer’s use of this passage compare/contrast to similar passages in the other three gospels? If it is unique, what does this tell us?
Epistles
The New Testament letters do theology as theology should be done: in the melee of doing life and solving problems. Using a typical historical letter-writing form they apply the eternal and universal gospel of Jesus to temporal and local situations. They often employ classic rules of rhetoric to defend the faith, answer questions, and expound the truth.
Some questions to ask of epistolary texts:
Where does this text fall in the structure of the letter? Greeting? Thanksgiving? Exposition? Application?
What argument is the writer making, and how is he going about proving it?
What rhetorical devices and tools can I identify in the text to shed light on the meaning?
If we have other epistles by the same author, what insight can we glean from a comparison with other writings?
Apocalyptic Literature
This form in both testaments taps vivid imagery and cryptic symbols to give a glimpse into the cosmic realities of eternity. Its dramatic visions of future heavenly victory infuse present earthly trials with hope.
Some questions to ask of apocalyptic literature:
What form(s) within the genre might we identify in this text? Oracles, visions, hymns, etc?
What do we know about the how the original readers would have interpreted the imagery and symbolism in this text?
What eternal, heavenly reality is portrayed in this text? How does it relate to the temporal, earthly reality of its readers (including us)?
How would this text have given hope to the original readers?
This is just the beginning …
We have barely skimmed the surface genres and forms. This study indeed requires a life-long commitment for any preacher. But don’t be overwhelmed. You will grow with practice, but you can do a good job from the start by asking two simple questions: What does it say? And how does it work?
Here’s another set of general question you might use to explore the unique way in which each text delivers its message:
What kind of truth does this text communicate? Is it cognitive truth, passing along information? Or is it affective truth, aiming more at motivation?
What is the intended outcome of this text? Was it written to inform, to inspire, to comfort, to provoke, to persuade, to call to repentance, or to shape a worldview?
How does it accomplish this goal?
Determine up front the major genre of your text. Read it in light of its own purposes and rules. This simple step will take you a long way down the road of understanding what it meant, and discerning what it means today.
