INTRODUCTION TO THE HEBREW BIBLE

MODULE 2: SESSION 13: The Different “Encyclopedias” of Authors and Readers

Surely somebody needs to understand that the author and a reader are coming from different perspectives where there is an “encyclopedia” of the author the so called “encyclopedia of production and also there is an “encyclopedia” of the reader the so called the “encyclopedia” of Reception”. Learning to read the Hebrew Bible well requires an awareness of our personal “encyclopedias of reception” and a discovery of the “encyclopedias of production” assumed by the biblical authors as they communicate. The Hebrew Bible is carefully crafted literature with every word placed intentionally to convey a specific message. Learning to read the Hebrew Bible requires studying the specific conventions and ways the biblical authors wrote narrative, poetry, and discourse. Therefore it does not matter the origin of the reader a better understanding of any biblical text would required a synergy between the two “encyclopedias”.