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