Evaluating the Genres of the Bible

The Genres of the Bible

This discussion will focus on the genres of letter/epistle and apocalyptic. The genres are covered in various books in the New Testament. Generally, most of the books in the New Testament are epistles/letters written to individuals, churches, and/or groups of believers. The book of Revelation is apocalyptic in nature. The genres of letter and apocalyptic are easily translated and interpreted into present day reality as they address some of the common experiences of Christians. The discussion is primarily a response to the seven prompts that focus on different features of the biblical genre.

Genre and Hermeneutics

The book of Revelation has provoked many debates and arguments with regard to understanding and interpretation. One of the sections of this book that has been subject to controversies in interpretation is Revelation 20:1-6, which focuses on God’s rule for 1000 years. The controversy surrounding this section is linked to questions on whether it provides a straightforward report regarding the future.[footnoteRef:1] Poythress attempts to address this issue on the premise that the issue of genre is closely linked to how we differentiate between literal and symbolic descriptions. A proper understanding and interpretation of this section requires determining the extent to which it is a symbolic description vis-à-vis a literal description. [1: Vern Sheridan Poythress, “Genre and Hermeneutics in Revelation 20:1-6”, The Journal of Evangelical Theological Society, 36, no. 1 (1993): 41 ]

As evident in this text, Revelation 20:1-6 is not a straightforward or literal description of a historical event. It is an apocalyptic genre consisting of a visionary level of symbolism or communication as John begins by stating “Then I saw the angel coming down from heaven,” (Revelation 20:1). The use of this phrase implies that this section is symbolic communication of John’s visionary experience. Symbolic communication is one of the features of the apocalyptic genre that is based on prophetic literature. While this text is not a literal description of a historical event, it reflects a direct description of future history as witnessed by John. Therefore, Revelation 20:1-6 exemplifies an apocalyptic genre using symbolic language.

Luke’s Presentation of the Spirit in Acts

Luke, the writer of the Acts of the Apostles, discusses the Holy Spirit in his book more than any other biblical writer. According to Bruce, the book of Acts presents the Holy Spirit as the divine agent and witness of the new age.[footnoteRef:2] By portraying the Spirit as a divine agent and witness, Luke promotes a literal interpretation of the activity of the Holy Spirit. The genre of the Gospels is shown in Luke’s presentation of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts. One of the features of the genre of the Gospels evident in Luke’s presentation of the Spirit in Acts of the Apostles is proclamation. The Gospels centered on proclaiming the world-changing event centered in the life and times of Jesus Christ. Luke proceeds with the proclamation in the book of Acts by depicting the coming and work of the Spirit as a life-changing event and experience in the lives of believers. In Acts 1:6-8, he proclaims how the coming and work of the Spirit would transform the life of the believer into a witness. The genre of narrative is also evident in Luke’s presentation of the Spirit as the book tells the spectacular events of the early Church as the Holy Spirit worked through them. [2: F.F. Bruce, “Luke’s Presentation of the Spirit in Acts”, Criswell Theological Review, 5, no. 1 (1990): 28]

The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible

God’s plan of salvation involves restoring things to their proper relationships by using Jesus Christ and his saving work. The perfection in Christ is the foundation for our salvation and unification in God. As the Bible demonstrates God’s plan, his strategy for salvation is both a literal and symbolic description. Literal description of the unfolding revelation of God in the Bible is evident in past reference to God’s work throughout every generation of mankind. This shows the genre of narrative, which primarily implies telling stories of what happened. The Bible reveals God and his work in humanity using narrative. One of the major features of this genre evident in the unfolding revelation of God in the Bible is what happened based on the author’s purposes. Each author provided a different narrative regarding what happened as God continued to reveal himself to mankind. For instance, the Bible demonstrates how salvation is experienced in a two-fold manner. The first expression of the experience of salvation is the literal description of Christ’s perfect and finished work for mankind. In this regard, Christ already took upon him the penalty for our sins and finished the work at the cross (1 Peter 3:18). The genre of narrative is combined with symbolic or prophetic language to demonstrate God’s ongoing work. The second aspect relates to the ongoing work of the Spirit in our lives as he applies the gospel and conforms us more to Christ’s image (John 14:16). Symbolic description of the unfolding revelation of the Bible is evident in the use of the imagery of new birth in reference to salvation, which portrays initiation into a new life (2 Cor. 5:17).[footnoteRef:3] [3: Graeme Goldsworthy, According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press).]

The Theme and Structure of Philippians

Philippians is one of the books that fall under the genre of epistle/letter written by the Apostle Paul. Many theologians and Bible scholars have contended that the book lacks a central theme that is systematically developed in a logical argument.[footnoteRef:4] Consequently, they have attempted to twist, turn, and rearrange the book in order to understand it. Unlike the other Pauline epistles, the book of Philippians seemingly has no overall aim and it is difficult to determine the precise identification of the occasion for it writing. While it could be difficult to establish the overall aim and purpose of this book, it seemingly follows a literary structure like other Pauline epistles. As shown in this article, the literary structure of the book is evident in different sections i.e. salutation (1:1-2), prologue (1:3-11), biographical prologue (1:3-11), the body (1:27-4:9), epilogue (4:10-20), and salutation and benediction (4:21-23). These different segments of the book provide a literary context of Paul’s writing to the Philippian church. The major feature of the genre of epistle/letter evident in this book is its communication for varied purposes. Despite lacking an overall aim, the book covers different topics that Apostle Paul addressed. In essence, it is an occasioned text whose prevailing mood is the concept of joy. This occasioned text was written as an informal letter that does not rely on a particular logical train since thoughts were written as they occurred. In addition, the book exemplifies the personal and friendly relationship between Paul and this church, which is another feature of the genre of epistle/letter in the Bible. [4: Robert C. Swift, “The Theme and Structure of Philippians”, Bibliotheca Sacra, 141, (1984): 234.]

Letters, Letter Forms

One of the many genres of the Bible is letter/epistle, which was a New Testament communication to particular individuals, churches, or groups of believers. Pauline epistles follow different formats as they were written for specific or varied purposes. As shown in this text, Paul had a sense of freedom in literary matters as he adopted Greco-Roman models in his writing. This freedom allowed him to write private personal letters or letters to churches or groups of believers that followed different formats. Paul also employed other literary traditions like liturgical forms and Greco-Roman rhetoric. For example, Paul wrote private personal letters to Timothy (1 Tim. 1:1-2) and to Galatians (Gal. 1:1-2). These letters were private rather than literary essays and were written to a specific audience and related to a specific situation or issue, which is one of the major features of the genre of epistle/letter.[footnoteRef:5] In some cases, Paul adopted the general model of Hellenistic letters, which employed a normal progression. Paul wrote to the Philippian church an informal letter addressing different topics with no central theme, but employed the general model of Hellenistic letters, which include opening, introduction, body, and conclusion. The use of different formats and literary traditions in Pauline epistles implies that freedom in literary matters is a key feature in the genre of epistle/letter. This freedom enabled Paul to determine what kind of letter to write to specific individuals or groups based on the issue he wanted to address. Moreover, this freedom enabled him to properly address the particular life situation of his audience in a personal way as he treated every situation as unique and important. [5: Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin & Daniel G. Reid, Dictionary of Paul and His Letters: A Compendium of Contemporary Biblical Scholarship (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press).]

Invitation to Biblical Interpretation

The genre of the epistle/letter plays a critical role in the life of Christian believers as it accounts for a huge percentage of New Testament books. One of the features of this genre as evident in New Testament books is instruction on how believers should live their lives.[footnoteRef:6] Instructions found in Pauline letters provide significant teachings regarding our union with Christ, Christian conduct, the body of Christ, and living in light of Christ’s return. Pauline epistles were used to not only address the life situations of the specific audience, but also provide instructions that are applicable to the life of today’s believers. The instructions in these letters also entailed using several themes found in narrative and prophetic literature such as 2 Sam 11:14-15. This implies that the genre of epistle/letter in the Bible has its foundation in narrative and prophetic literature and represents a unique epistolary setting. [6: Andreas J. Kostenberger & Richard D. Patterson, Invitation to Biblical Interpretation: Exploring the Hermeneutical Triad of History, Literature, and Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications).]

On the other hand, the genre of apocalyptic is the last genre of the Bible found in Revelation and some parts of Daniel. This genre is a significant part of the Old Testament as it dominates prophetic literature. It comprises visual accounts and symbolic language that depict temporal and spatial realities to encourage faithfulness and piety. While the genre of epistle/letter was mainly used for instruction, the apocalyptic genre primarily focuses on proclaiming urgent messages to particular audiences.

Apocalyptic, Apocalypticism

Apocalypse is a term that is generally used to refer to a specific style or genre of writing while apocalypticism refers to the religious ideology or movement that produces apocalyptic writings. One of the major features of the apocalyptic genre is the use of visionary or symbolic language to proclaim urgent messages to the audience. Visionary or symbolic language is employed in the apocalyptic genre to provide a view or perspective regarding God’s future purposes or plans. Christianity is not only about God’s past and present work in the life of believers, but also about what will happen in the future. While narrative and historical genres are employed to communicate about God’s past work in the lives of people, the apocalyptic genre employs visionary and symbolic language to communicate the immediate or long-term future. The apocalyptic genre is based on prophetic literature as God uses prophets to proclaim urgent messages to believers about the immediate or long-term future. In addition, the apocalyptic genre incorporates revelatory literature with a narrative framework. The use of this literature and framework provides a suitable foundation for disclosing a transcendent reality that is temporal and spatial. Some of the key features of the apocalyptic genre include angelic messengers, heavenly ascents, the revelation of the hidden, the present versus the future, the earthly versus the heavenly, and the wicked versus the righteous.[footnoteRef:7] [7: Ralph P. Martin & Peter H. Davids, Dictionary of the Later New Testament & Its Development (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press).]