- [Jon] So the Bible is a collection of books
written in different literary styles
like narrative, poetry, and prose,
and most of us are familiar with these kinds of literature.
- [Tim] Yeah, we all know a narrative when we see one,
like The Hunger Games or The Great Gatsby.
- [Jon] And most people can recognize poetry
whether it's Walt Whitman or the songs of Bob Dylan.
- [Tim] And every day we're surrounded by prose,
news articles, or essays.
- [Jon] Now, all of these examples are modern American literature,
in that they came from this time period
and this region of the world.
- [Tim] But there's also medieval English literature
from another place and time
or ancient Greek writings from this place and time.
- [Jon] So each time period in culture
produces its own unique kind of literature.
- [Tim] And in order to read the Bible well,
we need to keep in mind that it comes from
this part of the world
and was produced in this basic period of time.
- [Jon] So what's unique about ancient Jewish literature?
- [Tim] Well, a key feature is that it lacks a lot
of the details that modern readers have come to expect
in stories and poems.
- [Jon] And this makes it seem really simple.
- [Tim] But actually it's very sophisticated literature,
every detail that is given matters.
- [Jon] And that's great, but the lack of detail means
that stories are often loaded with ambiguities.
I mean, take one of the first stories,
Adam and Eve in the garden.
Where did this talking snake come from,
and why did God allow him there?
Why didn't Adam and Eve die on the spot
like God said they would?
And who's this offspring
of the woman who will destroy the snake
but is bitten by it?
- [Tim] Yeah, so many puzzles in this story.
And some of these are questions that we have
and that are not important
to what the author is focusing on,
but some of these ambiguities are intentional.
- [Jon] Intentional?
Won't that lead to bad interpretations,
people filling in the gaps with their own answers?
- [Tim] Well, that's a risk the biblical authors took
in writing this way.
We all tend to impose our own cultural assumptions
onto the Bible,
but they apparently thought the risk was worth it.
These oddities are really invitations
into an adventure of reading and discovery.
- [Jon] What do you mean?
- [Tim] Well, for example, the strange promise about the offspring
of the woman crushing and being bitten by the snake.
That word "offspring" is a clue to pay attention
to genealogies, which low and behold
run all through the biblical narrative.
They trace the lineage from Eve
all the way to King David and his offspring.
And in the New Testament,
Jesus is connected to the offspring of this royal line.
Now, when you read the prophets, Isaiah connected this king
to the suffering servant who would die
on behalf of his people.
And then in the book of Revelation
there's this symbolic vision.
And can you guess, it's about a woman and her offspring;
it's Jesus and his followers who conquer the dragon
by giving up their lives.
- [Jon] Yeah, so each part of the story there is loaded
with ambiguities, but altogether it makes sense.
- [Tim] And this is the literary genius of the Bible.
It forces you to keep reading
and then interpret each part in light of the others.
- [Jon] This is feeling complicated.
I don't know if I can do all that.
- [Tim] Well, you're actually not expected to notice all
of this by yourself or all at once.
This dense way of writing forces you to slow down
and then read carefully,
embarking on this interactive discovery process
through the whole biblical narrative
over a lifetime of reading and rereading.
- [Jon] Ah, okay.
Meditation literature.
- [Tim] Yeah, in Psalm 1, we read about the ideal Bible reader.
It's someone who meditates
on the Scriptures day and night.
- In Hebrew, the word "meditate" means literally to mutter
or speak quietly.
The idea is that every day for the rest of your life
you slowly, quietly read the Bible out loud
to yourself and then go talk
about it with your friends, pondering the puzzles,
making connections, and discovering what it all means.
And as you let the Bible interpret itself,
something remarkable happens.
The Bible starts to read you because, ultimately, the writers
of the Bible want you to adopt this story as your story.
- [Jon] So this ancient Jewish writing style,
it must create unique types
of narrative and poetry and discourse.
- [Tim] Yes, and we'll explore all of those literary styles
starting next with biblical narrative.
- [Jon] So Tim, what's the Hebrew word for "meditate"?
- [Tim] The Hebrew word is
"haga."
- [Jon] Thanks for watching this video.
We make a lot more just like this.
It's on our website.
- [Tim] We're a nonprofit crowdfunded animation studio,
which means if you find these videos helpful and valuable
you can help us make the next one.
You can find out more at thebibleproject.com.