The study of the Bible has long included a literary aspect with great
attention paid not only to what was written but also to how it was
expressed. The detailed analysis of biblical books and passages as
written texts has benefited from the study of literature in classical
philology, ancient rhetoric, and modern literary criticism. This volume
of the Lexham Methods Series introduces the various ways the study of
literature has been used in biblical studies. Most literary approaches
emphasize the study of the text alone-its structure, its message, and
its use of literary devices-rather than its social or historical
background. The methods described in Literary Approaches to the Bible
are focused on different ways of analyzing the text within its literary
context. Some of the techniques have been around for centuries, but the
theories of literary critics from the early 20th century to today had a
profound impact on biblical interpretation. In this book, you will learn
about those literary approaches, how they were adapted for biblical
studies, and what their strengths and weaknesses are.