1. Literary Genres
Of the Torah

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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