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How to Read the Bible as Literature
Why the Good Book Is a Great Read
If you want to rightly understand the Bible, you must begin by recognizing what it is: a composite of literary styles. It is meant to be read, not just interpreted. The Bible’s truths are embedded like jewels in the rich strata of story and poetry, metaphor and proverb, parable and letter, satire and symbolism. Paying attention to the literary form of a passage will help you understand the meaning and truth of that passage. How to Read the Bible as Literature takes you through the various literary forms used by the biblical authors. This book will help you read the Bible with renewed appreciation and excitement and gain a more profound grasp of its truths. Designed for maximum clarity and usefulness, How to Read the Bible as Literature includes * sidebar captions to enhance organization * wide margins ideal for note taking * suggestions for further reading * appendix: "The Allegorical Nature of the Parables" * indexes of persons and subjects
If you want to rightly understand the Bible, you must begin by recognizing what it is: a composite of literary styles. It is meant to be read, not just interpreted. The Bible’s truths are embedded like jewels in the rich strata of story and poetry, metaphor and proverb, parable and letter, satire and symbolism. Paying attention to the literary form of a passage will help you understand the meaning and truth of that passage. How to Read the Bible as Literature takes you through the various literary forms used by the biblical authors. This book will help you read the Bible with renewed appreciation and excitement and gain a more profound grasp of its truths. Designed for maximum clarity and usefulness, How to Read the Bible as Literature includes * sidebar captions to enhance organization * wide margins ideal for note taking * suggestions for further reading * appendix: "The Allegorical Nature of the Parables" * indexes of persons and subjects
208 pages, Paperback
Published January 3, 1985
131 people are currently reading
726 people want to read
About the author
Leland Ryken
118 books134 followersDr. Ryken has served on the faculty of Wheaton College since 1968. He has published over thirty books and more than one hundred articles and essays, devoting much of his scholarship to Bible translations and the study of the Bible as literature. He served as Literary Chairman for the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible and in 2003 received the distinguished Gutenberg Award for his contributions to education, writing, and the understanding of the Bible.
He is the father of Philip Graham Ryken
He is the father of Philip Graham Ryken
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
September 13, 2010
This was a very worthwhile book for me to read. Many "styles" of reading and studying the Bible involve a "vertical" method. You take a topic and dig deep down, or study a passage verse by verse. (The pastor in the church I grew up with taught this way and would take several years to teach through a book of the Bible. Rich teaching!!) While this is a very valid and useful way to read and study scripture (and I dearly love it!), it is also worthwhile to study the BIble using more "horizontal" methods. For example, read an entire book of the Bible from start to finish to see the big picture of that book, indeed read the entire Bible from beginning to end in 30 days or so, or find common themes in different books of the Bible and compare them.
Studying the Bible as literature is one of those "horizontal" methods of reading scripture, and it also is very worthwhile and valuable. Actually, the best way to read scripture I think is to combine both methods, but it seems that different denominations lean towards one way of reading or another. Because of that, Leland Ryken's book is a very helpful overview of how to read the Bible as literature.
Different literary types studied in this book include BIblical poetry, proverbs, the gospels, and the parables as well as others. The author does an excellent job of encouraging deep reading of scripture while taking time to understand the type of literature that particular book represents. I found the section on Biblical poetry especially interesting. An amazing thing to learn is that Hebrew poetry does not rhyme with the sound of words, but uses poetic structure instead. If the poetry had been of the type that rhymed (like "moon" and "June") when it was translated into other languages the poetry form would have been lost. But since Hebrew poetry uses structure instead of mere rhyming words, it is magnificently translated into many languages and the beauty of the poetry is not lost or diminished! Types of poetic structures discussed include metaphor, simile, symbol, allusion, personification, and hyperbole.
I am finding that reading this book compliments my reading of Peter Leithart's book "A House for My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament". Leithart encourages horizontal reading methods in scripture also, and he digs some wonderful treasures out by comparing similar themes across scripture.
Studying the Bible as literature is one of those "horizontal" methods of reading scripture, and it also is very worthwhile and valuable. Actually, the best way to read scripture I think is to combine both methods, but it seems that different denominations lean towards one way of reading or another. Because of that, Leland Ryken's book is a very helpful overview of how to read the Bible as literature.
Different literary types studied in this book include BIblical poetry, proverbs, the gospels, and the parables as well as others. The author does an excellent job of encouraging deep reading of scripture while taking time to understand the type of literature that particular book represents. I found the section on Biblical poetry especially interesting. An amazing thing to learn is that Hebrew poetry does not rhyme with the sound of words, but uses poetic structure instead. If the poetry had been of the type that rhymed (like "moon" and "June") when it was translated into other languages the poetry form would have been lost. But since Hebrew poetry uses structure instead of mere rhyming words, it is magnificently translated into many languages and the beauty of the poetry is not lost or diminished! Types of poetic structures discussed include metaphor, simile, symbol, allusion, personification, and hyperbole.
I am finding that reading this book compliments my reading of Peter Leithart's book "A House for My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament". Leithart encourages horizontal reading methods in scripture also, and he digs some wonderful treasures out by comparing similar themes across scripture.
May 28, 2025
I picked this up to reread for an upcoming class. Having taken all the courses Leland Ryken taught while I was at Wheaton, there's nothing new for me in this book, of course, but I enjoyed returning to it and being refreshed by its simplicity (in a good way) and clarity. I particularly enjoyed the section on story (the main part of the book). In the decades since the book's original publication and since my last reading of it, pop culture has talked a lot about story, and franchise storytelling has dominated discussions of heroes and archetypes. I was glad to return to this book and it's streamlined, commonsense overview of these issues—not just applicable to reading the Bible, but worth pondering in any context. Returning to some foundational terms and concepts helped me understand some things that I find frustrating about recent blockbuster storytelling.
Want to read
August 9, 2021From Words of Delight (1992): "This revised edition of Words of Delight incorporates into it a volume that was originally a separate book—Words of Life: A Literary Introduction to the New Testament. The literary approach that I develop in this combined volume parallels that in my book How to Read the Bible as Literature (Zondervan, 1984), but this book contains actual explications of texts lacking the the other book" (p. 9).
December 7, 2020
I thought this was a really good take on studying the Bible.
November 3, 2020
A very valuable read, and one I would recommend to any Christian with an interest in digging deeper into the literary artistry of the scriptures. It was particularly good for reminding us of the need to let the Bible narratives explain themselves rather than approaching them with a pre-determined interpretation. This is the kind of work you could read all over again, but with an open Bible margin and a ready pen.
October 19, 2012
This is a magnificent look at the literary nature of the Bible. The preface and first chapter (which, in my opinion, are the best parts of this entire book) attempt to show the reader the artistry of the Bible and the importance of the imagination in coming to a true understanding of the Word of God. Ryken works from the premise that the story is the meaning, explaining that, “because literature aims to recreate a whole experience, there is a certain irreducible quality to it.” He shows why our abstract dissections of the Bible so often fall short of truly communicating the truth contained in the text. This book gave a context and an expression to things that I have felt for many years but have not been able to coherently verbalize.
November 20, 2014
This is an excellent book! Compact, succinct, insightful, well-laid out, and easy to reference, Mr. Ryken has done a fine job and a service to both the theological and literary worlds by writing this book. Despite some technical forays, this book remains surprisingly easy to read and follow along. Perhaps this book would be better if he would do more a survey of how other scholars classify genres, but this is still a very useful and an interesting book to read.
September 16, 2014
Since God is the author, many readers of the Bible often assume that one approaches all of it the same manner. Often missed, however, is the reality of the dual authorship of the Bible. The Bible is not a monolithic piece of work. The Bible did not come to us in a Koranic-like fashion with an angel dictating every single word. What we have instead is God the Spirit superintending the process of revelation so that men—with their own personalities, experiences, vocabularies, etc.—wrote down God’s words as he would have them (2 Pet. 1:20-21). As such, we have a rich diversity of God-breathed Scripture, all of it profitable for the people of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17). This diversity includes genres and styles, ranging from story and poetry to metaphor and proverb. Each of these genres require a unique interpretive approach so as to be faithful and clearheaded in our exegesis.
Summary
Leland Ryken, long-time and now retired professor of English at Wheaton College, provides in his book How to Read the Bible as Literature a guide on how to approach the various literary genres used throughout the Bible. Ryken reminds us that in addition to historical and theological approaches to the Bible, we will be well served and we will do honor to the Bible when we approach it literarily. As he reminds us, the Bible is not simply a truthful book but also an aesthetically beautiful work (9). This dual reality is expressed by the writer of Ecclesiastes as he tells the reader that he not only chose the words “with great care” but also “sought to find pleasing words” (Eccl. 12:9-10). The aesthetic, creative element is a handmaiden to the propositional content of the Bible and we should never pit them against one another. Instead, we ought to appreciate the Bible, with all its literary genres, and rightly handle it with care. Leland Ryken helps the reader do just that.
The first thing Ryken establishes is the literary nature of the Bible. By “literature” he means the imaginative or creative element in the Bible (12). He admits that there are also “expository” portions in the Bible. He is quick to make clear that in surveying the literary nature of the Bible he is not ignoring the more abstract or propositional elements. He writes, “I have no intention of building a ‘great divide’ that would make a biblical passage either literature or nonliterature” (12). Instead, he offers a “literary continuum” of portions that more or less literary.
In the opening chapter of the book, as Ryken examines various elements of a story, he is quick to remind the reader that he is not required to memorize all the “rules” to rightly interpret any given biblical story. He writes, “The sheer quantity of ‘rules’ for reading and interpreting biblical stories may seem overwhelming…. We tend to apply most of these rules intuitively, simply as close readers of the biblical text” (68). This caveat, on a book of rules and examples, is a welcome reminder for the reader at the very outset. One need not enroll in an English literature course to read the Bible, although I am sure Ryken would not discourage either. Ryken is a guide, not a heavy-handed literary taskmaster.
Another feature of this book is the exposure to the breathtaking beauty and diversity of Scripture. For example, when surveying the types of biblical poetry, Ryken highlights the types of psalms: lament, praise, worship, and nature. Again, this quick survey exposes the reader to the wideness and appeal of the psalms. The psalms cover the whole gamut of human emotions—delight (1:2), fear (2:11), anger (4:4), joy (4:7), peace (4:8), grief (6:7), gladness (9:2), love (18:1), loneliness (25:16), sorrow (31:10), hope (33:22), shame (44:15), and pain (69:29). The psalms are not a flat, one-dimensional hymnbook to casually read. To the contrary, the psalms invite the reader—every reader—to come to God at every point of human emotion. Ryken helpfully showcases this.
A few other topics deserve mention. The most helpful of the sections in this book are Ryken’s treatment of the parables (139-153) and apocalyptic or “visionary” literature (165-175), for they are two of the genres that most often confuse Bible readers. Ryken also includes an insightful five-page appendix devoted to the topic of allegory in the parables. And lastly, in classifying the various literary genres of the Bible, Ryken concludes his book by stressing the literary unity of the Bible. “Like other stories, the Bible has a beginning-middle-end pattern, a unifying plot conflict between good and evil, a focus on people in the act of choosing, and a central protagonist who is God” (179). In the end, this Bible’s great unifying theme is God. In studying the various genres of the Bible, the student of God’s Word would do well to not miss its main actor.
Critical Evaluation
There are various positive things worth highlighting. Ryken provides the Bible student with an invaluable resource in this book. He systematically works through various literary genres and guides the reader. Like any good teacher, he slowly reinforces what he teaches with various examples. The sidebar captions are invaluable as they concisely summarize what the paragraph is about. The wide margins allow the reader to dig in and gloriously destroy the book with marginalia—it is as if Ryken is inciting the reader to become a conversation partner in this process, not simply a detached and mechanical observer. Moreover, the “Further Reading” at the close of each chapter gives a snippet of more thought and information that a reader can pursue.
There are also a few negatives. At times the discussions can seem tedious. For a new student of the Bible, the many terms and words such as “correspondence” (99) and “encomium” (119) can seem intimidating if not off-putting. Moreover, perhaps this work could have been further shortened and thus made more accessible. An updated version with new recommended books would also be helpful to today’s reader.
And lastly, writing in the mid-1980s, it seems Ryken wished to counterbalance the excesses in those who insisted on a grammatico-historical method of interpretation and emphasized the propositional truths taught in the biblical texts to the exclusion of the literary. As mentioned above, Ryken does not wish to make an either-or separation between the literary and the expository elements in the Bible. But in recent years, it seems to me that the literary side has been so prominent a feature that the more propositional component has been eclipsed. Today’s emphasis on the story line of Scripture has been a welcome reminder that our Bibles fit together—there is one great redemptive thing from beginning to end. The Bible is not reductionistic in its message or simply a scattered collection of abstract truths. But, of course, this must be balanced with the other emphases. This is a perpetual problem for the exegete of any generation. Thirty years have passed since Ryken first published this book; perhaps there is a need for a revised volume—or an entirely new book—that presents a more full-orbed presentation of the Bible as literature and what that means and does not mean.
In the end, however, this is a classic work by a seasoned scholar. The fact that this work is still in print thirty years after it was first published testifies to its enduring value. I am sure that it will still be an invaluable guide for many more years to come.
Summary
Leland Ryken, long-time and now retired professor of English at Wheaton College, provides in his book How to Read the Bible as Literature a guide on how to approach the various literary genres used throughout the Bible. Ryken reminds us that in addition to historical and theological approaches to the Bible, we will be well served and we will do honor to the Bible when we approach it literarily. As he reminds us, the Bible is not simply a truthful book but also an aesthetically beautiful work (9). This dual reality is expressed by the writer of Ecclesiastes as he tells the reader that he not only chose the words “with great care” but also “sought to find pleasing words” (Eccl. 12:9-10). The aesthetic, creative element is a handmaiden to the propositional content of the Bible and we should never pit them against one another. Instead, we ought to appreciate the Bible, with all its literary genres, and rightly handle it with care. Leland Ryken helps the reader do just that.
The first thing Ryken establishes is the literary nature of the Bible. By “literature” he means the imaginative or creative element in the Bible (12). He admits that there are also “expository” portions in the Bible. He is quick to make clear that in surveying the literary nature of the Bible he is not ignoring the more abstract or propositional elements. He writes, “I have no intention of building a ‘great divide’ that would make a biblical passage either literature or nonliterature” (12). Instead, he offers a “literary continuum” of portions that more or less literary.
In the opening chapter of the book, as Ryken examines various elements of a story, he is quick to remind the reader that he is not required to memorize all the “rules” to rightly interpret any given biblical story. He writes, “The sheer quantity of ‘rules’ for reading and interpreting biblical stories may seem overwhelming…. We tend to apply most of these rules intuitively, simply as close readers of the biblical text” (68). This caveat, on a book of rules and examples, is a welcome reminder for the reader at the very outset. One need not enroll in an English literature course to read the Bible, although I am sure Ryken would not discourage either. Ryken is a guide, not a heavy-handed literary taskmaster.
Another feature of this book is the exposure to the breathtaking beauty and diversity of Scripture. For example, when surveying the types of biblical poetry, Ryken highlights the types of psalms: lament, praise, worship, and nature. Again, this quick survey exposes the reader to the wideness and appeal of the psalms. The psalms cover the whole gamut of human emotions—delight (1:2), fear (2:11), anger (4:4), joy (4:7), peace (4:8), grief (6:7), gladness (9:2), love (18:1), loneliness (25:16), sorrow (31:10), hope (33:22), shame (44:15), and pain (69:29). The psalms are not a flat, one-dimensional hymnbook to casually read. To the contrary, the psalms invite the reader—every reader—to come to God at every point of human emotion. Ryken helpfully showcases this.
A few other topics deserve mention. The most helpful of the sections in this book are Ryken’s treatment of the parables (139-153) and apocalyptic or “visionary” literature (165-175), for they are two of the genres that most often confuse Bible readers. Ryken also includes an insightful five-page appendix devoted to the topic of allegory in the parables. And lastly, in classifying the various literary genres of the Bible, Ryken concludes his book by stressing the literary unity of the Bible. “Like other stories, the Bible has a beginning-middle-end pattern, a unifying plot conflict between good and evil, a focus on people in the act of choosing, and a central protagonist who is God” (179). In the end, this Bible’s great unifying theme is God. In studying the various genres of the Bible, the student of God’s Word would do well to not miss its main actor.
Critical Evaluation
There are various positive things worth highlighting. Ryken provides the Bible student with an invaluable resource in this book. He systematically works through various literary genres and guides the reader. Like any good teacher, he slowly reinforces what he teaches with various examples. The sidebar captions are invaluable as they concisely summarize what the paragraph is about. The wide margins allow the reader to dig in and gloriously destroy the book with marginalia—it is as if Ryken is inciting the reader to become a conversation partner in this process, not simply a detached and mechanical observer. Moreover, the “Further Reading” at the close of each chapter gives a snippet of more thought and information that a reader can pursue.
There are also a few negatives. At times the discussions can seem tedious. For a new student of the Bible, the many terms and words such as “correspondence” (99) and “encomium” (119) can seem intimidating if not off-putting. Moreover, perhaps this work could have been further shortened and thus made more accessible. An updated version with new recommended books would also be helpful to today’s reader.
And lastly, writing in the mid-1980s, it seems Ryken wished to counterbalance the excesses in those who insisted on a grammatico-historical method of interpretation and emphasized the propositional truths taught in the biblical texts to the exclusion of the literary. As mentioned above, Ryken does not wish to make an either-or separation between the literary and the expository elements in the Bible. But in recent years, it seems to me that the literary side has been so prominent a feature that the more propositional component has been eclipsed. Today’s emphasis on the story line of Scripture has been a welcome reminder that our Bibles fit together—there is one great redemptive thing from beginning to end. The Bible is not reductionistic in its message or simply a scattered collection of abstract truths. But, of course, this must be balanced with the other emphases. This is a perpetual problem for the exegete of any generation. Thirty years have passed since Ryken first published this book; perhaps there is a need for a revised volume—or an entirely new book—that presents a more full-orbed presentation of the Bible as literature and what that means and does not mean.
In the end, however, this is a classic work by a seasoned scholar. The fact that this work is still in print thirty years after it was first published testifies to its enduring value. I am sure that it will still be an invaluable guide for many more years to come.
July 11, 2021
A useful guide to the forms of literature found in the Bible, with practical advice on how to better comprehend it. Ryken says, "This book is an introduction to the literary forms of the Bible, with emphasis on the activities that those forms require of a reader."
I read this because it was mentioned in this hermeneutics podcast by Vern S. Poythress at Westminster Theological Seminary.
Notes
Preface
Literary approach builds on grammatico-historical method of interpretation. Both approaches aim to take readers as close as possible to originally intended, plain meaning of text by beginning with literal meaning of the words of the Bible, as determined by historical setting in which authors wrote.
Is the Bible Literature?
By "literature," Ryken means types of writing that are often called "imaginative literature" or "creative writing," in contrast to expository writing.
Some parts of the Bible are more literary and other parts are less literary.
Literature "shows human experience instead of telling about it." Its tendency "is to embody human experience, not to formulate ideas in intellectual propositions."
People often take conceptual and doctrinal approaches to the Bible, but you get a fuller understanding by adding the literary approach.
Advantages of literature: memorability, ability to capture reader’s attention, affective power, ability to do justice to complexity and multiplicity of human life.
The Stories of the Bible
Biblical stories make implied assertions about 3 great issues of life: reality (what really exists?), morality (what constitutes good and bad behavior?), values (what really matters, and what matters most?).
To figure out what a story means, identify what it's about (its topic) and how the writer wants us to view it (its theme).
Ways to identify story's topic
• Things repeated within the story
• Character transformation
• How much space something is given in the story
• Crucial or decisive events
Ways to identify storyteller's point
• Author states point
• Character in story states point
• God/Jesus in story states point
• Ending of story reveals point
Aspects of story to pay attention to
• Setting (place, time, culture)
• Characters (especially protagonist)
• Plot conflicts & resolution
• Suspenseful aspects
• Protagonist's experiment in living, giving an implied comment on life
• Narrative unity, coherence, emphasis
• Elements of testing & choice
• Character progress & transformation
• Foils, dramatic irony, poetic justice
• Implied assertions about reality, morality
• Repetition & highlighting, which give clues to meaning of story
• Writer's point of view
The Poetry of the Bible
Poetry "is inherently fictional, stating things that are not literally true or comparing one thing to something else that it is literally not."
"Hyperbole does not express literal, factual truth. Instead it expresses emotional truth. Hyperbole is the voice of conviction. It captures the spirit of an event or inner experience."
"[I]nterpret as figurative any statement that does not make sense at a literal level in the context in which it appears." Exception: simile (uses "like" or "as").
To determine meaning of poem
1. Identify what poem says about topic/theme.
2. Lay out structure (expository, descriptive, or dramatic; sequence; contrasts; repetition, catalog, association, or contrast; theme, variation).
3. Explore meanings of figures of speech, poetic devices.
4. Techniques of versification (parallelism) or patterning.
The Proverb As a Literary Form
A proverb can be descriptive or prescriptive.
Proverbs tend to state general principles to which there might be unstated exceptions; they're not moral commands.
Proverbs (aphoristic statements) are found throughout the Bible. They're concentrated in Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Gospels, James.
Ecclesiastes records a quest for meaning. The "under the sun" passages negatively refer to life lived by purely human/earthly standards, which are futile dead ends in the search for meaning. The alternative lifestyle is the God-centered one, which provides meaning to all aspects of life.
Books about Ecclesiastes and Proverbs: A Time to Be Born—A Time to Die by Robert Short, The Literature of the Bible by Leland Ryken, Those Who Ponder Proverbs: Aphoristic Thinking and Biblical Literature by James G. Williams.
Parables
Things repeated within the parable are important.
The last element in a parable is often the most important.
Parables are allegories; at least some of the details are symbolic of other meaning, and can be used to deduce themes and applications. Jesus treated parables as allegories (e.g., parables of sower, wheat and tares).
Parables can have more than 1 point; it's arbitrary to limit them. Even when they have 1 main point, they can have secondary or related themes.
How to analyze parables
1. Analyze literal details.
2. Interpret details that require symbolic interpretation.
3. Determine theme(s) using same rules as for determining theme(s) of story (see above).
4. Determine how theme(s) applied to original audience and today.
Satire
Biblical satire can be Horatian (urbane, smiling, subtle, gentle) or Juvenalian (biting, bitter, angry) (more common).
Biblical satire presents God's character or law as the foil to vice/folly/sin.
When you encounter satire, identify object(s) of attack, satiric vehicle, tone, and norm or standard by which things are criticized.
Visionary Literature
Events in visionary literature are historical (e.g., Israel and Judah carried into captivity, fall or Roman Empire), and are usually described symbolically.
When you encounter an event in visionary literature, ask yourself what historical event, theological reality, or event in salvation history the passage is symbolic of.
The Literary Unity of the Bible
The Bible claims to be history, and has been repeatedly authenticated as such by archaeology. Biblical stories include many historical facts, unlike fictional stories.
Unifying themes of Bible
• Character of God
• View of people
• Divine-human relationship
• Human evil and suffering
• Acts of God
• Acts of People
• Law and grace
• Promise and fulfillment
Appendix: The Allegorical Nature of the Parables
Jesus' parables are realistic, yet include preposterous or exaggerated elements (e.g., grain of wheat that produces 100 grains, mustard plant described as giant tree, employer who disregards hours worked, woman who bakes bushel of bread dough).
I read this because it was mentioned in this hermeneutics podcast by Vern S. Poythress at Westminster Theological Seminary.
Notes
Preface
Literary approach builds on grammatico-historical method of interpretation. Both approaches aim to take readers as close as possible to originally intended, plain meaning of text by beginning with literal meaning of the words of the Bible, as determined by historical setting in which authors wrote.
Is the Bible Literature?
By "literature," Ryken means types of writing that are often called "imaginative literature" or "creative writing," in contrast to expository writing.
Some parts of the Bible are more literary and other parts are less literary.
Literature "shows human experience instead of telling about it." Its tendency "is to embody human experience, not to formulate ideas in intellectual propositions."
People often take conceptual and doctrinal approaches to the Bible, but you get a fuller understanding by adding the literary approach.
Advantages of literature: memorability, ability to capture reader’s attention, affective power, ability to do justice to complexity and multiplicity of human life.
The Stories of the Bible
Biblical stories make implied assertions about 3 great issues of life: reality (what really exists?), morality (what constitutes good and bad behavior?), values (what really matters, and what matters most?).
To figure out what a story means, identify what it's about (its topic) and how the writer wants us to view it (its theme).
Ways to identify story's topic
• Things repeated within the story
• Character transformation
• How much space something is given in the story
• Crucial or decisive events
Ways to identify storyteller's point
• Author states point
• Character in story states point
• God/Jesus in story states point
• Ending of story reveals point
Aspects of story to pay attention to
• Setting (place, time, culture)
• Characters (especially protagonist)
• Plot conflicts & resolution
• Suspenseful aspects
• Protagonist's experiment in living, giving an implied comment on life
• Narrative unity, coherence, emphasis
• Elements of testing & choice
• Character progress & transformation
• Foils, dramatic irony, poetic justice
• Implied assertions about reality, morality
• Repetition & highlighting, which give clues to meaning of story
• Writer's point of view
The Poetry of the Bible
Poetry "is inherently fictional, stating things that are not literally true or comparing one thing to something else that it is literally not."
"Hyperbole does not express literal, factual truth. Instead it expresses emotional truth. Hyperbole is the voice of conviction. It captures the spirit of an event or inner experience."
"[I]nterpret as figurative any statement that does not make sense at a literal level in the context in which it appears." Exception: simile (uses "like" or "as").
To determine meaning of poem
1. Identify what poem says about topic/theme.
2. Lay out structure (expository, descriptive, or dramatic; sequence; contrasts; repetition, catalog, association, or contrast; theme, variation).
3. Explore meanings of figures of speech, poetic devices.
4. Techniques of versification (parallelism) or patterning.
The Proverb As a Literary Form
A proverb can be descriptive or prescriptive.
Proverbs tend to state general principles to which there might be unstated exceptions; they're not moral commands.
Proverbs (aphoristic statements) are found throughout the Bible. They're concentrated in Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Gospels, James.
Ecclesiastes records a quest for meaning. The "under the sun" passages negatively refer to life lived by purely human/earthly standards, which are futile dead ends in the search for meaning. The alternative lifestyle is the God-centered one, which provides meaning to all aspects of life.
Books about Ecclesiastes and Proverbs: A Time to Be Born—A Time to Die by Robert Short, The Literature of the Bible by Leland Ryken, Those Who Ponder Proverbs: Aphoristic Thinking and Biblical Literature by James G. Williams.
Parables
Things repeated within the parable are important.
The last element in a parable is often the most important.
Parables are allegories; at least some of the details are symbolic of other meaning, and can be used to deduce themes and applications. Jesus treated parables as allegories (e.g., parables of sower, wheat and tares).
Parables can have more than 1 point; it's arbitrary to limit them. Even when they have 1 main point, they can have secondary or related themes.
How to analyze parables
1. Analyze literal details.
2. Interpret details that require symbolic interpretation.
3. Determine theme(s) using same rules as for determining theme(s) of story (see above).
4. Determine how theme(s) applied to original audience and today.
Satire
Biblical satire can be Horatian (urbane, smiling, subtle, gentle) or Juvenalian (biting, bitter, angry) (more common).
Biblical satire presents God's character or law as the foil to vice/folly/sin.
When you encounter satire, identify object(s) of attack, satiric vehicle, tone, and norm or standard by which things are criticized.
Visionary Literature
Events in visionary literature are historical (e.g., Israel and Judah carried into captivity, fall or Roman Empire), and are usually described symbolically.
When you encounter an event in visionary literature, ask yourself what historical event, theological reality, or event in salvation history the passage is symbolic of.
The Literary Unity of the Bible
The Bible claims to be history, and has been repeatedly authenticated as such by archaeology. Biblical stories include many historical facts, unlike fictional stories.
Unifying themes of Bible
• Character of God
• View of people
• Divine-human relationship
• Human evil and suffering
• Acts of God
• Acts of People
• Law and grace
• Promise and fulfillment
Appendix: The Allegorical Nature of the Parables
Jesus' parables are realistic, yet include preposterous or exaggerated elements (e.g., grain of wheat that produces 100 grains, mustard plant described as giant tree, employer who disregards hours worked, woman who bakes bushel of bread dough).
December 22, 2022
This is a helpful book in understanding how the literary style of the various books of the Bible help us to understand the Bible. Ryken's style is succient and easy to understand. I especially like his last chapter where he writes about understanding the unity of the Bible. He comes at the literary discussions from a position of seeing the Bible as God's inspired Word which I appreciate and thus find it of value.
February 24, 2025
It’s ok, some helpful insights into genre, but just an overload of facts that will not really help me as I read the Bible.
June 3, 2024
Є загальні (фундаментальні) герменевтичні принципи, і є спеціальні (жанрові) правила тлумачення текстів. Книга Райкена саме про друге.
Я її читав ще на бакалавріаті в рос. перекладі («Библия как памятник художественной литературы»). Потім, вже у дорослому житті, перечитував її і використовував підчас підготовки проповідей та біблійних уроків.
Вона досить проста, але змістовна і цікава. В ній можна знайти доступний і мега-корисний путівник по жанровій герменевтиці.
Спочатку автор обґрунтовує тезу про те, що Біблія – це все ж таки література, і тлумачити її треба відповідно.
Потім в двох розділах він представляє біблійну прозу, показує її особливості і розказує, як її читати.
Далі, знову у двох розділах, розмова йде про поезію, її типи та її ключові риси.
Ще дві частинки книги присвячено притчам-прислів’ям Cтарого Заповіту і притчам-параболам (метафорічним-алегоричним історіям) Нового.
Не оминає автор особливості євангелій та епістолярного жанру, присвячуючи їм по розділу і розказуючи про їхні структурні, стилістичні й риторичні аспекти.
Окремі сегменти тексту виділені для представлення «візіонерської» (пророчої і апокаліптичної) літератури та сатири (таке в Біблії теж є).
Насамкінець, Райкен узагальнює свої спостереження і пише про «художню» й літературну цілісність Біблії як зібрання книг і жанрів.
Варто додати, що у книги дуже практичний і зручний формат, а авторський підхід майже ідеальний для підручника.
Автор постійно дає чіткі визначення і пояснення; надає численні приклади; на полях завжди присутні назви й підзаголовки окремих підрозділів і параграфів; подекуди вставлені корисні списки й таблички; в кінці книги додано глосарій-словник літературознавчих термінів, якими послуговується автор; звичайно наводяться бібліографічні рекомендації (хоча з перспектики 2024 року вони вже застарілі).
В цілому, книга Райкена – це стислий, якісний, добре продуманний і відформатований «ґайд» по біблійним літературним жанрам і правилам їх тлумачення. Рекомендую.
Я її читав ще на бакалавріаті в рос. перекладі («Библия как памятник художественной литературы»). Потім, вже у дорослому житті, перечитував її і використовував підчас підготовки проповідей та біблійних уроків.
Вона досить проста, але змістовна і цікава. В ній можна знайти доступний і мега-корисний путівник по жанровій герменевтиці.
Спочатку автор обґрунтовує тезу про те, що Біблія – це все ж таки література, і тлумачити її треба відповідно.
Потім в двох розділах він представляє біблійну прозу, показує її особливості і розказує, як її читати.
Далі, знову у двох розділах, розмова йде про поезію, її типи та її ключові риси.
Ще дві частинки книги присвячено притчам-прислів’ям Cтарого Заповіту і притчам-параболам (метафорічним-алегоричним історіям) Нового.
Не оминає автор особливості євангелій та епістолярного жанру, присвячуючи їм по розділу і розказуючи про їхні структурні, стилістичні й риторичні аспекти.
Окремі сегменти тексту виділені для представлення «візіонерської» (пророчої і апокаліптичної) літератури та сатири (таке в Біблії теж є).
Насамкінець, Райкен узагальнює свої спостереження і пише про «художню» й літературну цілісність Біблії як зібрання книг і жанрів.
Варто додати, що у книги дуже практичний і зручний формат, а авторський підхід майже ідеальний для підручника.
Автор постійно дає чіткі визначення і пояснення; надає численні приклади; на полях завжди присутні назви й підзаголовки окремих підрозділів і параграфів; подекуди вставлені корисні списки й таблички; в кінці книги додано глосарій-словник літературознавчих термінів, якими послуговується автор; звичайно наводяться бібліографічні рекомендації (хоча з перспектики 2024 року вони вже застарілі).
В цілому, книга Райкена – це стислий, якісний, добре продуманний і відформатований «ґайд» по біблійним літературним жанрам і правилам їх тлумачення. Рекомендую.
February 18, 2016
A useful book, with sections that were outstanding. In general, I found the overview chapters discussing the Bible as literature and a unified story more helpful than some of the details of how to read specific types of literature, partly because the descriptions are very compressed and felt rather like a textbook. But on the whole this was a useful book for biblical interpretation.
July 30, 2022
This was an excellent book. I have been wrestling with how to teach hermeneutics to high school students in a bible class, and the literary elements that fill the scriptures have recently been coming more to my attention. I had been indoctrinated in the grammatical-historical method, and now I see if this method is correctly used, then we take seriously what seems to have been the original intention of the author, the genre and we properly understand the figures of speech. When this is done, it becomes overwhelmingly clear that many of the storytellers and poets wanted their writings to be enjoyed, they artfully constructed the stories and poems with subtle skill and depth--creating literary masterpieces. Interestingly, many of the authors delighted in ambiguity, and complexities of character, and often the universal narrator makes no judgments, leaving that to the reader. They often appeal to our imagination, they show, rather than tell, and they help us to have an experience and convey truth in memorable ways.
Now, what I like about Ryken, is evangelical scholars like him can act like a bridge, helping to connect Christians with a more true understanding and delight of scripture, because they maintain their fundamentalist faith that all things related to history, happened, just like it was told. They can hold in tension the belief that scripture contains all the elements of literature, and yet it is also factual at the same time.
Other biblical scholars like Robert Alter, who recognize the literary elements that fill the bible, would say scripture is historized fiction or fiction that is historized, and that the Hebrews appear to have invented this form of narrative.
Even though it is a reality that scripture is literature, and if we are going to assume this book is inspired and is the book God wanted us to have, then clearly this was what God wanted, and we should be okay with it--regardless of the modern insistence that it must be inerrant and factual.
Though this is the case, still I would imagine that for many evangelicals, the thought God could inspire fiction would be just too big of a pill to swallow. Even though Jesus spoke in parables or mainly used figures of speech, it is just unthinkable that the Father might inspire people before Christ to convey truth through stories that only loosely, if at all, have a grounding in history.
Anyhow, due to this fear that if everything isn't historical, then it cannot be true, inspired, and of worth, we need people like Ryken who can soothe these fears, and suggest it is both imaginative and artfully constructed literature and equally history. You can really have your cake and eat it too! You can recognize the literary beauty of Genesis 1, but also be a young earth creationist. You can recognize that Jonah is satire and yet still believe Jonah was literally in the big fish for three days and night and that all of Ninevah repented, including the cows.
Now, what I like about Ryken, is evangelical scholars like him can act like a bridge, helping to connect Christians with a more true understanding and delight of scripture, because they maintain their fundamentalist faith that all things related to history, happened, just like it was told. They can hold in tension the belief that scripture contains all the elements of literature, and yet it is also factual at the same time.
Other biblical scholars like Robert Alter, who recognize the literary elements that fill the bible, would say scripture is historized fiction or fiction that is historized, and that the Hebrews appear to have invented this form of narrative.
Even though it is a reality that scripture is literature, and if we are going to assume this book is inspired and is the book God wanted us to have, then clearly this was what God wanted, and we should be okay with it--regardless of the modern insistence that it must be inerrant and factual.
Though this is the case, still I would imagine that for many evangelicals, the thought God could inspire fiction would be just too big of a pill to swallow. Even though Jesus spoke in parables or mainly used figures of speech, it is just unthinkable that the Father might inspire people before Christ to convey truth through stories that only loosely, if at all, have a grounding in history.
Anyhow, due to this fear that if everything isn't historical, then it cannot be true, inspired, and of worth, we need people like Ryken who can soothe these fears, and suggest it is both imaginative and artfully constructed literature and equally history. You can really have your cake and eat it too! You can recognize the literary beauty of Genesis 1, but also be a young earth creationist. You can recognize that Jonah is satire and yet still believe Jonah was literally in the big fish for three days and night and that all of Ninevah repented, including the cows.
March 26, 2023
I think I expected this to be more of a book about "Is the Bible True History or is it stories?" Instead, it is literally reading and interpreting and experiencing the Bible as you would read/interpret/experience literature and poetry. Ryken explains what "literature" is and then how to see passages that fit those definitions/explanations, and various literary devices, such as metaphors, similes, setting, a character's challenges and growth, conflict, etc.
Some other statements are very generic to reading any kind of literature or poetry, such as "use your imagination" and "experience the story" (I don't know if that's supposed to be in contrast to reading a document, where you use the factual portion of your brain, for example).
Instead of how to read the Bible specifically, this book is more along the lines of "how to read literature" (like How to Read Literature Like a Professor), using the Bible as the sample text.
Maybe if you were very religious (believed that the Bible is JUST a recording of true history) *and* didn't read much literature this would help you see the literary (storytelling) qualities of the book, but if you read literature/fiction, you've likely already seen the characteristics and patterns of literature, and if you don't believe that the Bible is firmly 100% just reciting history as it actually happened [e.g., a sword really did come out of God's mouth, and 11 stars really did bow], you've seen those storytelling aspects, too.
So then, I give it 2 (since I can't do a middle-of-the-road 2.5) stars: it's basically the same as any other "how to read/analyze literature/poetry" book, nothing super special, actually slightly drier than some other literary analysis books, but he does give some interesting tips/advice/background in general.
Some other statements are very generic to reading any kind of literature or poetry, such as "use your imagination" and "experience the story" (I don't know if that's supposed to be in contrast to reading a document, where you use the factual portion of your brain, for example).
Instead of how to read the Bible specifically, this book is more along the lines of "how to read literature" (like How to Read Literature Like a Professor), using the Bible as the sample text.
Maybe if you were very religious (believed that the Bible is JUST a recording of true history) *and* didn't read much literature this would help you see the literary (storytelling) qualities of the book, but if you read literature/fiction, you've likely already seen the characteristics and patterns of literature, and if you don't believe that the Bible is firmly 100% just reciting history as it actually happened [e.g., a sword really did come out of God's mouth, and 11 stars really did bow], you've seen those storytelling aspects, too.
So then, I give it 2 (since I can't do a middle-of-the-road 2.5) stars: it's basically the same as any other "how to read/analyze literature/poetry" book, nothing super special, actually slightly drier than some other literary analysis books, but he does give some interesting tips/advice/background in general.
October 11, 2018
I first heard about this book way back in 1986. Just now, I found the time to read it. I'm so glad I did. I always thought I had a literary bent toward understanding the Bible because I was innately "good" at literature. After reading this, I realize it has always been the other way around. I'm good at literature because I grew up on the literature of the Bible. This is a shorter text by Ryken, that almost seems designed as an outline for a college course. It's certainly written clearly enough that a student could understand how he applies literary terms (metaphor, simile, narrative, paradox, etc.) to passages in the Bible. He discusses narrative, biblical poetry, the proverb, the Gospels, parables, epistles and visionary (prophetic) literature. It's all very helpful and provides a great framework for doing what the book titles says, "reading the Bible as literature". My favorite part of the book is from the opening chapter, "Is the Bible Literature?". There is a discussion of literature as incarnational which carries several layers of meaning for me. Good text.
July 25, 2024
“If the Bible is an artistically beautiful as well as a truthful book, it demands a literary approach in addition to the historical and theological approaches.”
This seems like a perfectly valid statement, and I suppose the literary aspects of the Bible could be easily overlooked. As the author says, parables are not always as straightforward as they might appear, and most Bible stories are written in such an unembellished way that they can easily be mistaken for something less than literature.
But this book spends the vast majority of its pages explaining the basics of literature–characterization, plot, Aristotle’s theory of unity. And, did you realize satire is used to attack vices?
It does apply some of these techniques to a short snippet of the story of Jacob and Esau and look at some of the parallel structures of the poetry of the Bible. But I was hoping it would contain this kind of analysis much more often, maybe at the end of each chapter. But no such luck. Aside from directing you to specific chapters and verses, this book is of very little help.
This seems like a perfectly valid statement, and I suppose the literary aspects of the Bible could be easily overlooked. As the author says, parables are not always as straightforward as they might appear, and most Bible stories are written in such an unembellished way that they can easily be mistaken for something less than literature.
But this book spends the vast majority of its pages explaining the basics of literature–characterization, plot, Aristotle’s theory of unity. And, did you realize satire is used to attack vices?
It does apply some of these techniques to a short snippet of the story of Jacob and Esau and look at some of the parallel structures of the poetry of the Bible. But I was hoping it would contain this kind of analysis much more often, maybe at the end of each chapter. But no such luck. Aside from directing you to specific chapters and verses, this book is of very little help.
May 1, 2021
It's concise and makes for a good reference book. It feels a little like reading a manual for a product, which in some ways is helpful because as a student of the Bible, sometimes what I need is a manual to help me know how to rightly handle the "product" in my hands. Because of the brevity and directness, when I am struggling with how to proceed in certain hermeneutical steps, I'll likely reach for this and skim through to see what I might need to remember. The language feels a little dry but again, this is what you get with a "manual". One of the best parts is that the formatting of the book makes it extremely easy to find what you need to find. Whoever formatted this book deserves an award because of how clean, easy, and helpful they make it.
Overall, it's a fine resource and because the formatting makes it easy to find what I am looking for, I'll likely come back to it on occasion but it's not something I'd really recommend.
Overall, it's a fine resource and because the formatting makes it easy to find what I am looking for, I'll likely come back to it on occasion but it's not something I'd really recommend.
November 9, 2020
If you want to understand just what exactly you’re reading when you read the Bible (and by reading I mean reading not interpreting) then this little book of a gem.
Taking the Bible and breaking it down into its various literary genres: narrative, satire, poetry, song, etc., Ryken makes it easier to recognize how one is meant to respond and read certain passages of Christian Scripture. As we all know from English class, you don’t read prose the same way you read poetry, and Ryken help navigates this in regards to the Christian Scriptures.
Definitely for both non-Christians and Christians alike. Highly recommend, easy read.
Taking the Bible and breaking it down into its various literary genres: narrative, satire, poetry, song, etc., Ryken makes it easier to recognize how one is meant to respond and read certain passages of Christian Scripture. As we all know from English class, you don’t read prose the same way you read poetry, and Ryken help navigates this in regards to the Christian Scriptures.
Definitely for both non-Christians and Christians alike. Highly recommend, easy read.
June 1, 2017
If you have any background in literature, this book is a waste of time. It is a generic book on the very basics of how to read (in the context of the Bible). It doesn't teach literary analysis but provides caricaturish summaries for plot archetypes, asking the reader to mentally sort passages into these categories. It teaches readers to analyze with the complexity required for a middle school book report. Again, if you have any experience striving to understand complex literature, this book is a step backwards.
November 27, 2023
While it took me the better part of a year to get through it, that is no indication of its difficulty or its value. It is an indispensable and highly approachable book for every serious student of the Bible... or even the casual reader of the Bible. It is the first word in reading the Bible from the perspective of its literary genres, giving the reader a leveled-up skill in understanding and enjoyment. Will be recommending it to all the "students" in my circles of influence.
July 7, 2024
Impossible to rate a textbook / reference book prior to having a full understanding of the area of study, but this is a broad overview of the literary forms found in the bible per this writer, which are literary forms found in much of Western literature. Wasn't a bad refresher / reminder on what exactly reading a piece of text "as literature" means and how to apply it to Bible, which can feel meandering, segmented and disjointed without some kind of framework.
August 29, 2018
This is a simple and helpful work. Ryken reminds us that the Bible does not have a catch all hermeneutic. Rather, each genre of scripture must be interpreted with its own rules. Half of these chapters were insightful to me. The other half were obvious (I.e.- the paragraphs explanation of a metaphor).
This is a work I will grab off the shelf as I prepare to preach a narrative or parable text.
This is a work I will grab off the shelf as I prepare to preach a narrative or parable text.
January 8, 2022
Leland Ryken did the Church a great service by providing a hermeneutical manual to exists alongside our basis grammatical-historical or redemptive-historical methods. This book is about taking the text of the Bible and its literary forms seriously so we can better theologize in our daily lives. If you're going to take the Bible literally you must take its literature seriously.
February 5, 2022
For being a book that tries to emphasize reading scripture as a story this little guy tastes more like a dry collection of analysis and to-dos. The author is well versed in literary analysis and each chapter thoroughly gets his point across. My students and I have certainly grown in our hermeneutical approach thanks to Ryken; but it could definitely be more accessible.
July 10, 2023
Although this was a required read for my class, I gleaned so much from Ryken’s study and it transformed the way I interact with the Bible. This book has helped me identify different literary forms used by biblical authors and empowered me to now see the deeper and more contextualized meaning of Scripture.
December 29, 2023
Great Read
This was my first read through a book on literary criticism of the Bible. The book is both simple and practical. It is also comprehensive but thorough in it's treatment of reading the Bible as literature and enjoying it. A great introduction to the subject from a well respected expert in the field.
This was my first read through a book on literary criticism of the Bible. The book is both simple and practical. It is also comprehensive but thorough in it's treatment of reading the Bible as literature and enjoying it. A great introduction to the subject from a well respected expert in the field.
August 22, 2025
I expected maybe a little bit more out of this book. It still read like a book on hermeneutics, but with a feature on literature. I don't feel as if I've figured out anything new about hermeneutics, but just had the same basic principles articulated again in a more flourished manner that elevates the story characters of Scripture.
September 30, 2020
This is a helpful book that I read for one of my classes. The author goes through each genre contained in scripture and highlights how a literary approach can aid us in our understanding of God’s word. It’s Simple, straightforward and worth your time.
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