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Introduces key aspects of narrative interpretation to offer a richly rewarding approach to reading the Bible.
Shows how to discern the theological and homiletical message of the book of Revelation through narrative analysis.
This narrative commentary systematically examines John's Apocalypse from a narrative critical perspective. After an introduction to narrative criticism, the volume focuses on point of view, setting, rhetoric, character, and plot in the Book of Revelation. The rhetorical and symbolic significance of numerals are discussed at length as are the multifaceted characters in the book such as demonic animals (locust, beasts, dragon, birds) and apocalyptic animals (lamb, four living creatures). The symbolic significance of topographical, architectural, agricultural, and other settings is emphasized. The final chapter of the book is a summary of some of the major theological themes of Revelation. The volume provides a useful methodology for the study of a much disputed book of the Bible.
"James Resseguie draws from recent studies in narrative criticism and the New Testament to bring our attention to the spiritual significance of the physical landscapes, social relationships, and economy in Luke's Gospel. Gleaning from this rich perspective, Resseguie explores Luke's illustrations of spiritual formation and development. Students, preachers, spiritual directors, and readers interested in spirituality from a biblical perspective will gain insight from the role that stories such as the road to Emmaus, a widdow's offering, the tax collector's feast, and the demoniac's change of clothes play in the Lukan narrative." --
In this literary analysis of the Gospel of John, Resseguie examines rhetoric, setting, character, and plot to uncover the Gospel’s unique point of view. He shows the usefulness of the concepts of defamiliarization and point of view for understanding how the narrator makes the familiar seem strange. A material, familiar point of view that is voiced by the dominant culture is compared with a defamiliarized, strange point of view that is expressed by Jesus and the disenfranchised. Through close readings of narrative texts, the author develops and elaborates the theological perspective of John, which emerges in the clash of differing points of view. The introduction defines “objective” and...
The first nontechnical description of the principles and procedures of narrative criticism. Written for students' and pastors' use in their own exegesis.With great clarity Powell outlines the principles and procedures that narrative critics follow in exegesis of gospel texts and explains concepts such as "point of view," "narration," "irony," and "symbolism." Chapters are devoted to each of the three principal elements of narrative: events, characters, and settings; and case studies are provided to illustrate how the method is applied in each instance. The book concludes with an honest appraisal of the contribution that narrative criticism makes, a consideration of objections that have been raised against the use of this method, and a discussion of the hermeneutical implications this method raises for the church.
The Book of Revelation presents the fascinating and terrifying story of what John reports happening to him while on the Mediterranean island of Patmos. It is a far more interesting story than the tired predictions of other would-be prophets whose many forecasts of the future have always failed to materialize. Tales of the End invites readers to hear John s story anew. Rather than forcing John s story into our time, it takes the reader back to the time of its original telling, exploring both what is told and how it is told examining its plot, characters, point of view, temporal perspective, narrator, listener, author and audience. Only then can we ask how this story bears on the modern world and how it addresses enduring human concerns. David Barr s narrative analysis uncovers a complex and compelling story addressed to the communities of Jesus followers in first-century Asia Minor, a story told vividly so that the audience can participate in John s extraordinary experience and so be transformed, adopting new values, new perspectives; indeed, a new understanding of what the world is really like.
How to read Revelation rightly. Let's face it: the book of Revelation is difficult to read! Many neglect it, leaving it to the experts or the obsessed. Others fixate on the details, focusing on current events but missing Christ in the process. But Revelation promises a blessing on all who read it. Why is it so hard to understand? In Reading the Book of Revelation, Alexander E. Stewart offers five simple keys that unlock this difficult book. He then illustrates their profit in explaining Revelation chapter by chapter and provides recommendations for further study. With this short and accessible guide, readers will see how Revelation is approachable, applicable to their lives, and glorifying to Christ.
This volume contains thirteen essays written between 1900 and today. Each of them takes as its starting point the Gospel of John as a literary unity. The volume as a whole traces literary studies of John back to the early 1900's and charts their development from then. Some of these essays are little known even to Johannine scholars. Others are recognized as classics in the field. Two of them are translations. This book is therefore a timely and indispensable resource for those interested in the history of the fourth gospel interpretation, and in examples of literary methods applied to John.
In this major, paradigm-shifting commentary on Revelation, internationally respected author Francis Moloney brings his keen narrative and exegetical work to bear on one of the most difficult, mysterious, and misinterpreted texts in the biblical canon. Challenging the assumed consensus among New Testament scholars, Moloney reads Revelation not as an exhortation to faithfulness in a period of persecution but as a celebration of the ongoing effects of Jesus's death and resurrection. Foreword by Eugenio Corsini.