PREFACE Literary Study of the Bible: And the Word Became Text 8
BEGINNING
Chapter One the Dream Was Doubled: Reading like A Hebrew 19
Seeing Deep and Whole: Stereoscopic Vision 20
Tabernacles for the Sun: Biblical Genres 36
Chapter Two in the Scroll of the Book: Composition and Canonicity 44
The Documentary Hypothesis: Its Origins, Assumptions, and Evolution 45
Hypothetical Documents: Divine Names, Disputed Dates, and the “Polychrome Bible” 48
Toledoth: Generations of Genesis and Torah 59
New Testament Sources: “Q” and A 61
In His Hand was a Measuring Rod: Community, Councils, and Canons 63
THE OLD TESTAMENT / HEBREW BIBLE / TANAKH
Chapter Three Hebrew Poetry: Deep Calls to Deep 76
In the Great Congregation: The Many Voices of Psalms 76
A Pentateuch of Poems: The Five Books of the Psalter 79
Create in Me a Clean Heart: Interior Drama and Psychological Discovery 86
Play Skillfully: Figure and Form 97
Figurative Language 97
Form: Parallelism--Synonymous, Antithetic, Synthetic 99
Form: Refrain and Litany 101
Form: Juxtaposition 103
Love Strong as Death: The Song of Solomon 104
Lyric Sequence or Dramatic Narrative: Whose Story? 105
Allegory? 109
Literal Love Story? 112
Earthly Desire and Heavenly Longing 116
Chapter Four Wisdom Literature: Understanding Their Riddles 118
Take Hold of Her: Wisdom and Desire in Proverbs 121
She Calls Aloud in the Streets: Wisdom and Folly Personified 122
Folly Made Flesh: The Loose Woman 125
Wisdom Incarnate: The Good Wife 129
The Beginning of Wisdom: How to Read a Proverb 134
--Enjoy Your Toil: The Counter-Wisdom of Ecclesiastes 138
Under the Sun: Living by Mortal Light 141
The Wind Whirls About: Cycles and Cynicism 144
Remember Your Creator: The End and the Beginning 149
Chapter Five Origin Narrative I: Divine Images in Genesis 153
Biblical Narrative Style: The Elements 154
Minimalism 154
Wordplay 157
Doubling and Repetition 158
Juxtaposition 159
Deferred Judgment 160
Irony--Sad, Happy, Complex 165
Day of Days: Creation in Stereoscope 168
And It Was Good: The Quiet Polemic against Creative Violence 170
In Our Image: Man or Manikin? 177
Male and Female: Gendering Genesis 179
Flesh of My Flesh: Biblical Erotics and Marriage 181
Nakedness and Knowledge: Deception, Folly, Fall, and Curse 186
Chapter Six Origin Narrative Ii: Patriarchy and Its Discontents in Genesis 197
“Arc” of the Covenant: The Story of God’s Contracts 199
Kinds of Covenant: Bilateral and Unilateral 201
Keeping Covenant: Promises, Conditions, Signs 203
Specific Covenants: Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic 204
Warts and All: Abraham and Anti-Patriarchal Patriarchy 222
The Older Shall Serve the Younger: Against Primogeniture 235
What Will Become of His Dreams: Joseph and His Brothers 257
Chapter Seven Biblical Epic I: Making the Nation in the Pentateuch 282
--Mosaic Epic: The Priestly Kingdom 282
Moses: A Man Drawn Out 287
The Exodus: Let My People Go 292
Exodus and Leviticus: Covenant Law and Liberty 301
Mosaic Covenant: Moral, Civil, and Ritual Law 305
Moral Law: The Ten Commandments 306
Civil Law: The Hebrew Constitution 309
Ritual Law: Sacred Space and Time, Life in the Blood 316
Epic Fail: The Golden Calf 322
Numbers: Rebellion and Wandering 325
Deuteronomy: The Law Renewed 332
Chapter Eight Heroic Narrative: Remaking the Hero in Joshua, Judges, and Ruth 340
Joshua’s Conquest: Taking the Promised Land 341
When the Judge Was Dead They Reverted: Cycles of Decay in Judges 351
Alternative Heroes: Ehud, Deborah, Jael, and Gideon 354
Weak like Any Other Man: The Tragedy of Samson 367
The Anti-Hero: Right in His Own Eyes 374
Famous in Bethlehem: Ruth and Boaz, Local Heroes 384
Chapter Nine Biblical Epic Ii: Making the Kingdom in 1 And 2 Samuel 396
Saul’s Epic Tragedy: A King like All the Nations in 1 Samuel 396
The Glory Has Departed: Samuel, the Ark, and Israelite Survival 397
Cross Destinies: Saul, David, and Chiastic Plot Structure 405
David’s Epic Tragicomedy: A Sure House, A Lasting Covenant in 2 Samuel 431
From Strength to Strength: King in Hebron, King in Jerusalem 434
Cross Destinies Times Two: David, Absalom, and Double Chiastic Plot Structure 441
Coda: He Who Rules Over Men 456
Chapter Ten National Narrative: Chosen Stories of Chosen People In Kings, Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah, and Esther 460
Sad Stories of the Death of Kings: Kings and Chronicles 461
Cast Down the Mighty: Highlights of Misrule and Divine Intervention in Kings 481
Doubled, with a Difference: The Book of Chronicles 496
Return and Rebuild: Ezra and Nehemiah, Restorers of the City 498
For Such a Time as This: Esther in a Strange Land 512
Chapter Eleven Drama: The Divine Tragicomedy of Job 524
Job as Primal Theater 526
Prologue: Nakedness and Knowledge, Again 528
Act 1: Debate Begins--Job 4-14 534
Act 2: The Pace Quickens--Job 15-21 539
Act 3: Climax, Sullen Silence, and Summation--Job 22-31 544
Act 4: Elihu, Angry Young Man--Job 32-37 548
Act 5: The LORD Answers--Job 38-42 552
Epilogue: Theodicy vs. Theophany and Satan’s Real Absence--Job 42 556
Chapter twelve prophecy: who speaks for god? 561
Nevi’im: Prophets Former and Latter, Major and Minor 562
Forthtelling Prophecy: Elijah, Elisha, and Social Justice 564
Foretelling Prophecy: The Scandal of Prediction 566
Messianic Prophecy: The Anointed One 571
Apocalyptic Prophecy: Visions of the End, and the Beginning 573
The Major Prophets: Isaiah through Daniel 575
Isaiah: The Art of Prophesying 575
Jeremiah and Lamentations: The Weeping Prophet of Hope 581
Ezekiel: Son of Man, Can These Bones Live? 591
Daniel: Man Greatly Beloved 596
The Minor Prophets: The Day of Small Things 602
Hosea: Take Unto Thee a Wife of Whoredoms 602
Joel: The Day of the Locust 603
Amos: Let Justice Roll Down like Water 604
Obadiah: Concerning Edom 606
Jonah: Should I Not Pity Nineveh? 606
Micah: Birth Pangs of the Kingdom 608
Nahum: Woe to the Bloody City! 609
Habakkuk: On the Day of Wrath, the Just Shall Live by His Faith 610
Zephaniah: I Will Gather Those Who Sorrow 611
Haggai: The Desire of All Nations 612
Zechariah: Behold, Your King 613
Malachi: Who Can Endure the Day of His Coming? 614
THE NEW TESTAMENT / NEW COVENANT
Chapter Thirteen Gospel Narrative: Kingdom Coming 620
Make It New: Another Covenant 620
A House Divided: Intertestamental Developments and Religious/Political Parties in Jesus’ Day 623
Synoptic and Johannine: Stereoscopic Vision Revisited 630
Mark, “Q” and Synoptic Composition 632
Jesus of History, Christ of Faith? 635
Tell No Man: The Messianic Secret 639
Parables: Kingdom Secrets, Ears to Hear 644
Gospel vs. Biography: Chosen Stories of the Chosen One 653
Matthew: Jesus, Son of Abraham 654
Toledoth Y’shua: The Generations of Jesus 655
Mark: Jesus, Son of God 658
Render Unto Caesar: Mark and Romanitas 659
Luke-Acts: Jesus, Son of Adam 663
Most Excellent Theophilus: Luke’s Testimony 664
Discoursing Wonders: Luke and the Marvelous 665
Acts of the Holy Spirit: The World Turned Upside Down 674
Preacher, Martyr, Evangelist, and Convert: Peter, Stephen, Philip, and Saul/Paul 677
John: Jesus, Son of the Father, Word Made Flesh 689
And Dwelt Among Us: Gnosticism Refuted by the Word Made Flesh 691
What Sign Do You Show Us?: The Semeia of John 696
Ordinary Splendor: The Miracle of the Everyday 706
Chapter Fourteen Epistle: Divine-Human Correspondence 709
Sent to the Nations: Pauline Epistles 713
Paul’s Letters to Churches 714
At the Center of Power: Romans 715
At the Center of Trade: 1 and 2 Corinthians 724
From Many, One: The Unity and Diversity of the Body in 1 Corinthians 725
Talking Like a Madman: Paul’s Self-Defense in 2 Corinthians 731
The Law of Grace: Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians 734
Proclaim Liberty: The Damascus Road to Spiritual Freedom in Galatians 734
Cure the Walking Dead: Spiritual Rot and Resurrection in Ephesians 738
Let This Mind Be in You: The Springs of Joy in Philippians 743
Firstborn over All Creation: Christ Almighty in Colossians 746
Paul’s Apocalypse: 1 and 2 Thessalonians 750
Paul’s Letters to Individuals 752
Pastoral Epistles: 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus 753
More Than a Slave: Philemon 756
--General Epistles: Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, Jude 757
Better Than Moses: The Letter to the Hebrews 758
Trials of the Faith That Works: James 761
The Forge of Persecution and the Cancer of Corruption: 1 and 2 Peter 765
Fire and Hope: Jude 769
Johannine Epistles: God is Love 771
Chapter Fifteen New Testament Apocalypse: Kingdom Come 780
Little Apocalypses: The Gospels and Epistles 782
An Angel Standing in the Sun: The Brilliant Difficulties of Revelation 786
Fearful Symmetry: Structuring the Vision 788
Theatrum Mundi: Staging the Vision 791
The Words of This Book: Speaking the Vision 792
If Anyone Adds and Takes Away: Interpreting the Vision 795
Preterist: Apocalypse Then 796
Historicist: Apocalypse Then to Now 798
Futurist: Apocalypse Soon 800
Spiritual/Symbolist: Apocalypse Now and Always 805
The Three-Fold Answer: A Symbolic Drama of Past, Present, and Future 808
Full Circle: A Tree in a Garden 811
APPENDIX 1 Suggestions for Further Reading 817
APPENDIX 2 Sidebars and Illustrations 820
