A History of the Bible as Literature Group at eNotes

I think there would be a lot less animosity if people did read the Bible...

Mon, 3 Nov 2008 13:50:40 PST

I think there would be a lot less animosity if people did read the Bible as literature. As a teacher of literature, I tell my students everyday that just because something never happened, it doesn't mean it isn't true. What is more important than "did this happen exactly like it states?" is, "Is there Truth here?" Genesis 1 is obviously a poem, and read like a poem, the truth is still that God created the world, but the poem yields the...

I have to disagree that one cannot be well-read and not familiar with...

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:42:01 PST

I have to disagree that one cannot be well-read and not familiar with the Bible. I've never read the Bible the entire way through and I'm not extremely familiar with all parts of it. I am familiar with quite a few psalms, famous stories, and books, however. I could hardly be called very knowledgeable about the Bible or a Bible scholar; however, I am very well-read. I agree that the Bible is a piece of literature, but I do not agree that...

Even a grocery list can be read as literature. Every book of the Bible,...

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:21:57 PST

Even a grocery list can be read as literature. Every book of the Bible, regardless of its ease in reading, is literature and has had an enormous impact on other writings. One can not be well-read and not be familiar with the Bible. There are just way too many biblical allusions that must be understood when reading literature and recognizing the Christ figures, etc. All of it can be appreciated as literature without worrying about...

You can find nearly all types of literature in the Bible, and whether...

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 07:13:42 PST

You can find nearly all types of literature in the Bible, and whether you believe in the Bible as truth or not, you cannot deny the influence the Bible has had on writing. The Bible is one of the oldest narratives in the world history. The story of Abraham is at least as old as the Gilgamesh. The Bible has great examples of the writing of history, straightforward narrative, poetry, wisdom literature (Proverbs is an example of a common...

This is a very tricky topic to address. I think there can be ways to...

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 02:23:02 PST

This is a very tricky topic to address. I think there can be ways to examine the Bible from a literary perspective (certain books) if we look at examples of figurative language, for instance. There are other literary elements we could locate in the Bible. I agree with linda-allen that there are certain types of stories in the Bible that are typical of any type of fiction, not just "Christian" fiction, actually.

I think some books of the Bible are difficult to read as literature,...

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:31:05 PST

I think some books of the Bible are difficult to read as literature, such as the prophetic books and probably all of the New Testament. Except for the action/adventure stories in the book of Acts, I can't see a way to separate the text from the religious message. However, even though they do celebrate the glory of God, some of the Old Testament books can be read in the same way as "Christian fiction" is read today. For instance, the...

A Literary Analysis of the Bible

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:36:43 PST

To what extent can we sustain a literary reading of the bible?Put in another way , where do we draw the line betwen a literary investigation of the bible and a religious, moralistic and doctrinal appreciation of biblical text?