Literary Genres Of the Torah

Narrative A story line An unidentified narrator Torah has multiple narrators because of multiple authors Narration advanced with dialogue and speeches For example, Yahweh’s private conversations with Moses Narrative

Myth Torah contains mythological motifs Not extended myths like Gilgamesh “myth refers to traditional narratives about events in the remote and unrepeatable past, typically involving tales of creation, human origins, or . . . Divine-human relationships. Myth

Myth, cont Does “myth” = falsehood? Myths can be “true” in a more profound way Not associated with a literal fact For the Genesis authors, the six-day creation account served primarily as a means to express their concept of a monotheistic cosmos. Myth, cont

Genealogies Priestly “P” contribution Provides continuity In Torah the genealogies are in a fairly rigid form of age, birth order, etc, of sons They trace an unbroken line from Adam to Abraham Genealogies

Stories that explain the cause or origin of some natural phenomenon, social custom, or religious ritual For example, Lot’s wife being changed into a pillar of salt accounts for the unusual salt formations bordering the Dead Sea Etiology

Divine speeches in which Yahweh or El Shaddai promises Canaan to Abraham’s descendants Genesis authors show that Israel’s right to possess the area was part of God’s plan from the beginning Etiology, cont

Itinerary One of the Torah’s oldest methods Characterizes nomadic societies Shows point of departure, destination, specific place names or geographical features Is related to the journey motif For example, Moses at Mount Sinai Itinerary

Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and the people of Israel are almost constantly on the move traveling to the Promised Land The metaphor of homeless wanderers ever seeking a permanent resting place dominates the Torah story of Israel’s early life. Itinerary, cont

Cult Legends Serves to validate centers of worship Jacob erects a monument and names it “Bethel” or House of God to commemorate his experience of his visionary dream of ascending and descending divinities. Mirrors worship practices of other cults Cult Legends

Legal Codes Multiple legal instructions indicate multiple authors And multiple purposes The codes demonstrate the complex nature of the divine-human relationship In its final form, the Torah incorporates at least five originally separate bodies of law as well as the ten commandments Legal Codes