Reading Biblical Narratives : Literary Criticism and the Hebrew Bible

by Amit, Yairah

• ISBN13: 9780800632809
• ISBN10: 080063280X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-07-01
• Publisher: INGRAM

Summary

Based on a series of lectures given in Israel, Amit introduces the reader to the subtle ways of the biblical narrators. Covering issues of character, plot development, catchword association, narration, and dialog, she brings the biblical text to life, helping the reader enter the stories from new vantage points.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
The Power of Stories	1	(9)
Story Scholars and the Role of the Reader	10	(12)
Research on Biblical Narrative	10	(4)
On the Role of the Reader	14	(8)
A Biblical Story alongside Biblical Criticism	22	(11)
Beginnings and Endings	33	(13)
Plots, Structures, and Their Functions	46	(23)
The Pediment Structure	48	(1)
The Scenic Character	49	(9)
Units and Transitions	58	(4)
The Three-and-Four Structure	62	(3)
The Patterned Scene	65	(4)
Creating Characters with Minimal Means	69	(24)
Classification of Characters	71	(3)
Characterization	74	(8)
The Character of God and Its Implication for Human Characters	82	(5)
Character and the Role of the Reader	87	(6)
Whom to Believe?	93	(10)
The Biblical Story and the Use of Time	103	(12)
Time of Narration and Narrated Time	105	(5)
The Sequence of Time	110	(5)
Place, Story, and History	115	(11)
Some Functions of Place Indications	118	(8)
Inherent and Added Significance	126	(12)
The Story of Amnon and Tamar	126	(6)
The Story of Naboth's Vineyard	132	(6)
The Story and Its Contexts	138	(10)
The Story of Amnon and Tamar	138	(3)
The Story of Naboth's Vineyard	141	(2)
The Story of Judah and Tamar	143	(5)
Afterword	148	(2)
Abbreviations	150	(2)
Notes	152	(17)
Works Cited	169	(12)
Index of Biblical References	181