literary genres of the torah. narrative a story line an unidentified narrator torah has multiple...
TRANSCRIPT
Literary GenresOf the Torah
Narrative
A story lineAn unidentified narratorTorah has multiple narrators because of
multiple authorsNarration advanced with dialogue and
speeches◦For example, Yahweh’s private conversations
with Moses
Myth
Torah contains mythological motifsNot extended myths like Gilgamesh
“myth refers to traditional narratives about events in the remote and unrepeatable past, typically involving tales of creation, human origins, or . . . Divine-human relationships.
Myth, cont
Does “myth” = falsehood?Myths can be “true” in a more profound
wayNot associated with a literal fact
For the Genesis authors, the six-day creation account served primarily as a means to express their concept of a monotheistic cosmos.
Genealogies
Priestly “P” contributionProvides continuityIn Torah the genealogies are in a fairly
rigid form of age, birth order, etc, of sons
They trace an unbroken line from Adam to Abraham
Etiology
Stories that explain the cause or origin of some natural phenomenon, social custom, or religious ritual
For example, Lot’s wife being changed into a pillar of salt accounts for the unusual salt formations bordering the Dead Sea
Etiology, cont
Divine speeches in which Yahweh or El Shaddai promises Canaan to Abraham’s descendants
Genesis authors show that Israel’s right to possess the area was part of God’s plan from the beginning
Itinerary
One of the Torah’s oldest methodsCharacterizes nomadic societiesShows point of departure, destination,
specific place names or geographical features
Is related to the journey motifFor example, Moses at Mount Sinai
Itinerary, cont
Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and the people of Israel are almost constantly on the move traveling to the Promised Land
The metaphor of homeless wanderers ever seeking a permanent resting place dominates the Torah story of Israel’s early life.
Cult Legends
Serves to validate centers of worshipJacob erects a monument and names it
“Bethel” or House of God to commemorate his experience of his visionary dream of ascending and descending divinities.
Mirrors worship practices of other cults
Legal Codes
Multiple legal instructions indicate multiple authors
And multiple purposesThe codes demonstrate the complex
nature of the divine-human relationshipIn its final form, the Torah incorporates at
least five originally separate bodies of law as well as the ten commandments