Generic criticism — What is it?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Believers are called to make every effort in studying Scripture, ensuring they understand and apply it correctly (2 Timothy 2:15). Generic criticism is a tool that facilitates Bible study. The Bible is composed of various literary genres, or categories. Knowing key features of each genre is essential for accurate interpretation and understanding.

Genre categories are based on style, tone, form, structure, and content. Genres guide how a passage should be read and interpreted. The primary genres in the Old Testament are historical narrative, law, wisdom, poetry, and prophecy. The main genres in the New Testament are gospel, parable, Acts, epistles (or letters), and apocalyptic literature.

Each genre has distinctive features to focus on during study. For example, wisdom books offer practical advice for daily life, poetry makes use of figurative language, the gospels are biographical narratives about Jesus, the epistles are more like formal letters, and the book of Revelation is a combination of prophecy, apocalyptic literature and epistle.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• A good example of a passage in which understanding the genre helps to avoid error is Proverbs 26:4-5:
• Answer not a fool according to his folly,
• lest you be like him yourself.
• Answer a fool according to his folly,
• lest he be wise in his own eyes.
• At first glance, those sentences seem to contradict each other. But proverbs, by definition, express wisdom that is generally true and should be read with context in mind. According to the above two Proverbs, we should sometimes avoid answering a foolish person lest we act foolishly in doing so. But it is also true that we sometimes should answer a foolish person to offer correction. Both are true—depending on the context. Those who don’t read Proverbs with its genre in mind may accuse the Bible of contradictions that do not actually exist.
• Deuteronomy 6:7 records God’s command to the Israelites to teach their children the words of the law “diligently.” Part of proper teaching of scripture is understanding its genre.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• The New Testament also contains different genres: The Gospels are ancient biographies, Paul’s writings are epistles, Acts is history, and Revelation is apocalyptic literature. Considering each book’s genre helps us to avoid errors. For instance, people often read passages from the book of Revelation literally. But as apocalyptic literature, much of Revelation is figurative and symbolic (and it even explains some of its own symbolism in passages like 5:8). For example, Revelation 13:18 has led people to look for patterns in names, dates, etc., that add up to the literal number 666. This has often encouraged speculation and superstition. Studying apocalyptic passages is commendable, but if we read symbols as literal, we’re likely to read our own meaning into the passages.
• Paul advised Timothy, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Right “handling” of God’s word includes understanding the type of writing each book represents.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

The dividing lines between genres are somewhat arbitrary, and there is overlap. Almost every book of the Bible contains some history, but the Old Testament history books are predominately history. The historical events often convey deeper spiritual truths. Some of the language used in wisdom literature is metaphorical and poetic, and this should be taken into account during analysis.

The gospels are biographical narratives about the life and work of Jesus. Yet portions of the gospels also contain other genres, such as parable (Matthew 13:1-23) and discourse (Matthew 24). The epistles are formal letters written by apostles like Paul to churches or individuals. These letters contain doctrine, pastoral advice and correction of false beliefs.

Deeper understanding comes when we consider the genre of the Bible books we read.

UNDERSTAND

• Generic criticism considers the genre of a literary text when analyzing it.
• The Bible contains books from many different genres: History, poetry, wisdom literature, biography, epistles, and more.
• Scripture encourages readers to be diligent in their study of God’s word, and generic criticism can be a part of that.

REFLECT

• Which genre in the Bible are you most drawn to and why?
• Which genres do you find most challenging to read?
• What strategies do you use to best understand the Bible when you read it, including understanding the genre of the book you are reading?

ENGAGE

• How can group Bible studies be enhanced by considering the genre of the book being discussed?
• How can generic criticism be used to counter claims about supposed Bible “contradictions”?
• Which Bible genres might be the best choice for those who are new to reading Scripture?