INTRODUCTION TO THE HEBREW BIBLE

MODULE 4: Interpreting Biblical Narrative

SESSION 18: Literally Representation and “Reality”

Biblical narrative forms two third of the whole Hebrew Bible where the remaining one third is poetic narration. When we read biblical narrative, we are reading an interpretation of the biblical events within the stylized poetics (i.e., conventions) of biblical narrative. Generally speaking, when reading one has to have the encyclopedia of production (author) relating to the encyclopedia of production. That is to say, biblical narrative invites us into the narrative world of the authors, and it also invites us to view the world from their perspective. The narratives work on you, and over time, they begin to affect the way we view ourselves and the world we’re living in.

When reading the Hebrew Bible, it is helpful to familiarize ourselves with the basic elements of ancient Near Eastern culture to gain insight into the culture of the ancient Israelites meaning that we have to be careful and take heed of the encyclopedia of production. However, the main key to understanding the text is the text itself. For example, to understand one narrative in Genesis, we need to understand it in light of the entire Genesis scroll and the TaNaK as a whole.