Learning the POETICS of the Text Literary Skills to read Early Hebrew History VanderEnde 2014 – HIST 5033 Johnson University Literary Reading Basics Presentation 2: Content and Form
Jan 02, 2016
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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