biblical literature lecture 06 wisdom and poetic books
TRANSCRIPT
WISDOM AND POETIC
BOOKS
Biblical Literature
Dr. David Battle
FORM CRITICISM
Hermann Gunkel
1862-1932
A Literary Form or “genre” have
• Common style and structure
• Common sensibility and mood, or tone.
• Common life context.
FORM CRITICISM
The goal is use the clues in specified
form or “genre” of a literary work to
identify the Zitz im Leben or “the life
setting” of the form.
Hermann Gunkel
1862-1932
GUNKEL’S FORMS
Newspaper Article
Obituary
Lawsuit
• Hymns of Praise
• Hymns of Laments
• Royal Palms
• Entrance Liturgies
GUNKEL-FORM CRITICISM
Community
Individual
Psalms were used in temple worship.
FROM CRITICISM
There is no single universal
system of classification of
Forms and many overlap.
Lament Psalms
Wisdom Palms
Royal Psalms
Messianic Psalms
Psalms of Ascent
Penitential Psalms
Imprecatory Psalms*
WISDOM AND POETIC
COMMON FORMS
Psalm 60
Psalm 1
Psalm 2
Psalm 22, 110
Psalm 120-136
Psalm 51
Psalm 137
A SURVEY OF WISDOM
AND POETIC BOOKS
Biblical Literature
Dr. David Battle
WISDOM AND POETIC
BOOKS: PART ONE
WISDOM AND POETIC
Books of Wisdom
• Practical Wisdom
• Philosophic Wisdom
Psalms:
Song of Solomon
WISDOM AND POETIC
Philosophical Wisdom:
• Job
• Ecclesiastes
Practical Wisdom:
• Proverbs
WISDOM AND POETIC
Psalms:
• Five Books or collections of Psalms.
• Books One (Psalms 1-41)
• Book Two (Psalms 42-72)
• Book Three (Psalms 73-89)
• Book Four (Psalms 90-106)
• Book Five (Psalms 107-150)
• Opening: Psalms 1 & 2
• Closing Doxologies
• Climatic Doxologies (Psalms 146-150)
WISDOM AND POETIC
Psalms:
• Sub collection of Psalms
• Three Collection of Davidic Psalms
• Two Collections from the Sons of Korah
• Two Collections of Congregational Praise.
• Asaph Collection
• Hallelujah Psalms
WISDOM AND POETIC
Song of Solomon (SS 2:7; 3:5; 8:4)
• A Wedding Poem
• Used metaphorically for the relationship between
God and His people.
• Israel
• Church
WISDOM AND POETIC
Poetic literature is aesthetic and emotive.
Bishop Robert Lowth (1710-1787)
• Lectures on Hebrew Poetry, 1787
• Synonymous Parallelism
• Antithetical Parallelism
• Synthetic Parallelism
Robert Lowth
1710-1787
UNDERSTANDING
POETIC STRUCTURES
Biblical Literature
Dr. David Battle
SYNONOMUS
(Psalm 24:1-2 ESV)
[24:1] The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof,
the world and those who dwell therein,
[2] for he has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
ANTITHETICAL
(Prov. 1:8 ESV)
[8] Hear, my son, your father’s instructions,
And forsake not your mother’s teaching. *
* “Torah” or law.
SYNTHETIC
(Psalm 1:1-2 ESV)
[1:1] Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
WISDOM AND POETIC
Other poetic common structures and devices.
• Inclisio (Psalm 8:1,9)
• Acrostic
• Psalm 119
• Chiasmus
• Psalm 1:2
• Psalm 8
CHIASMUS: PSALM 1:3
A but his delight is
B in the law of the LORD,
B’ and on his law
A’ he meditates day and night.
CHIASMUS: PSALM 8
God’s Excellent Name [8:1a]:
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
God’s Excellent Name: [9]
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
CHIASMUS: PSALM 8
God’s Rule In the Heavens:
[1b] You have set your glory above the
heavens.[2] Out of the mouth of babies
and infants, you have established strength
because of your foes, to still the enemy
and the avenger.
Humanity’s Rule on the Earth:
[6] You have given him dominion
over the works of your hands; you
have put all things under his feet,
[7] all sheep and oxen, and also the
beasts of the field, [8] the birds of
the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of
the seas.
CHIASMUS: PSALM 8
Humanities Smallness: [3] When I look at your heavens, the
work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in
place,
• The Central Question of the Psalm: [4] what is man that you are
mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
Humanities Greatness: [5] Yet you have made him a little lower
than the heavenly beings* and crowned him with glory and honor.
* Heb. “gods” or Lxx. “angles”