Biblical Genres

Modern Genre Theory describes the current state of biblical genre theory (as well as the meaning of form criticism and why it needs to die). Scholar of biblical hermeneutics Andrew Judd then presents a better alternative of interpretation based on the best developments in secular literary theory, linguistics, and rhetorical studies.

Have you ever wondered what it was like for Eve to be the first woman, created as an adult but with the mind of a child? What must it have been like for Deborah to be the only female judge in Israel’s history? Ever considered how Esther felt about being chosen as queen in the ungodly kingdom of Persia - particularly when she’d have to share her husband with a harem? What must Mary and Martha have thought when their brother Lazarus had died, and it looked to them like Jesus was not coming?

In order to understand, appreciate, and faithfully preach the word of God, pastors must discern the literary nature of the Bible. Instead of just acknowledging the various genres of Scripture, pastors and teachers should allow these genres to influence how the text is approached and communicated. In The Beauty and Power of Biblical Exposition, they will learn how to both read and preach the Bible as a literary anthology.

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be one of the 5,000 when Jesus multiplied the fish and the loaves? Or one of his disciples when he walked on water? Or to have seen Lazarus come out of the tomb? Ever wonder what Mary thought when Gabriel told her she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit, or what the fallout was like in her personal life? Ever considered how those two disciples felt on the road to Emmaus, when they found that the man with whom they had been talking was in fact their risen Lord?

In Ur of the Chaldees, Ishcah faces the daunting prospect of marrying Abram, a man she has never once met in her thirty-nine years, and a man who renames her Sarai on their wedding day. Their union, arranged since childhood, tests her as she grapples with uncertainty about her future and Abram's true nature, including his devotion to an unseen God—entirely unlike the idols she has worshipped all her life.

The beloved daughter of Jewish captives in Babylon, Keren is sold into Daniel’s household to help her family survive. She becomes Daniel’s most trusted scribe, while taking lessons and swordsmanship training alongside Daniel’s sons and their best friend, Jared. But after a tragic accident changes the course of her life, Keren finds herself in a foreign country, charged with a mysterious task: teaching a shepherd boy how to become a lord. When she overhears whispers that hint at his true identity, she realizes she must protect him from the schemes of a bloodthirsty king.

In ancient Israel, at the crossroads of the great trading routes, a mercenary named Benaiah is searching for a new beginning. He has joined a band of outcasts led by a warlord named David, who follows the mysterious Hebrew God. Their ranks are filled with bitter, ruthless men–some bound by loyalty to David, others lured by the spoils of conquest. To the desperate Israelites on the frontier they secretly protect, they are known as "mighty men."

In 2012, Jonathan Cahn caused a worldwide sensation with the release of his first book, The Harbinger. It was hailed as "stunning", "prophetic", "mind-blowing", and "astonishing". Cahn followed it with best seller after best seller, but he has always held off on writing a sequel. But now, for the first time, Cahn opens up what could not be unlocked before - the mysteries that couldn’t be revealed until the present time, the manifestations that have taken place since The Harbinger came out and up to the present hour, and the mysteries of what is yet to come.

The Book of God reads like a novel, dramatizing the sweep of biblical events, bringing to life the men and women of this ancient book in vivid detail and dialogue. From Abraham wandering in the desert to Jesus teaching the multitudes on a Judean hillside, this award-winning bestseller follows the biblical story from start to finish.

When the daughter of a prominent Roman general meets a disinherited Jewish immigrant, neither one can dream of God's plan to transform them into the most influential couple of the early church. Nor can they anticipate the mountains that will threaten to bury them. Their courtship unwittingly shadowed by murder and betrayal, Priscilla and Aquila slowly work to build a community of believers, while their lives grow increasingly complicated thanks to a shaggy dog, a mysterious runaway, and a ruthless foe desperate for love.

At 86, Miriam had devoted her entire life to loving El Shaddai and serving His people as both midwife and messenger. Yet when her brother Moses returns to Egypt from exile, he brings a disruptive message. God has a new name - Yahweh - and has declared a radical deliverance for the Israelites. Miriam and her beloved family face an impossible choice: cling to familiar bondage or embrace uncharted freedom at an unimaginable cost.

Stories of the miraculous abound in the Bible: the parting of the Red Sea. David and Goliath. Daniel and the Lion’s Den. Nebuchadnezzar’s Fiery Furnace. Jonah and the Whale. Many of us learned of them in Sunday School class, and might know them so well that we have subconsciously relegated them to the realm of myth and fairy tale. But have you ever considered what it might have been like to live through those incredible stories—without knowing how they end? These stories and more are brought to life in All Things Are Possible, told through the eyes of the main character.

Raised as an orphan by her aunt, Chariline has only been told a few pieces of her parents’ tragic love story. Her beautiful dark skin is proof that her father was Cushite, but she knows nothing else. While visiting her grandfather before his retirement as the Roman official in the queen’s court, Chariline overhears that her father is still alive, and discovering his identity becomes her obsession. Both her grandfather and the queen have reasons for keeping this secret, however, and forbid her quest. So Chariline sneaks on the ship of a merchant trusted by friends.

Sold into slavery by her father and forsaken by the man she was supposed to marry, young Egyptian Kiya must serve a mistress who takes pleasure in her humiliation. When terrifying plagues strike Egypt, Kiya is in the middle of it all. Choosing to flee with the Hebrews, Kiya finds herself reliant on a strange God and drawn to a man who despises her people. With everything she's ever known swept away, and now facing the trials of the desert, will she turn back toward Egypt or surrender her life and her future to Yahweh?

In this third installment of The Chosen series, we see Jesus healing the sick, preaching the sermon on the Mount, feeding the 5,000, and raising the dead. We see his enemies growing ever more determined to silence him. And we see his very human disciples struggling with their own questions and concerns, believing in but not yet understanding their Messiah.

In this third volume of Thomas Mann’s monumental retelling of the biblical story, Joseph in Egypt follows Joseph after he is sold by his jealous brothers to Ishmaelite traders. They bring him to Egypt, where he’s eventually purchased by Potiphar. Joseph's intelligence, charisma, and integrity soon earn him Potiphar’s trust, and he rises to become the overseer of Potiphar’s household.

At the age of eighteen, musician and songwriter Cooper O’Connor took everything his father held dear and drove 1,200 miles from home to Nashville, his life riding on a six-string guitar and the bold wager that he had talent. But his wager soon proved foolish.

Jack Garrison lost his wife and their only child in a car accident, and thereafter lost his faith. In this dramatic novel, the 33-year-old skeptic experiences the mysterious wonder of being caught up in visions, dreams, and real-life experiences. Listeners journey with Jack throughout the Holy Land and also globally, from his home in London to the furthest corners of the world.

Disciple Matthew, a former tax collector, is invited to work with Peter, James, and John in Jerusalem. He dreams of preaching and performing miracles like his fellow apostles, but he finds his dreams postponed because of a request from Yeshua's mother. Well aware of the passing years, Mary asks Matthew to help her record the stories of Yeshua while the eyewitnesses are still alive. Reluctantly, he agrees, though the longer he and Mary work together, the more difficult their task becomes.

Al leer Caná. Caballo de Troya 9, el lector llega a una conclusión: todo lo contado sobre Jesús de Nazaret conviene ponerlo en duda. La verdad, probablemente, fue más intensa e inquietante. Si usted acierta a leer la primera línea de Caná no será por casualidad. Y atención: sus principios se tambalearán.