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Literary Elements In The Bible

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Distinguishing the different types of literary genres within the bible helps readers gain a deeper understanding of the text itself as well as what the text is trying to convey in addition to its overall impact in modern society. The two main literary features of Narrative shown in the bible that will be addressed in the response is Characterisation and Symbolism. Arguably the most prominent literary genre featured within the bible is narrative. A narrative is a story that recounts events, most often involving characters and plot. One of the main literary features of narratives used in the bible is characterisation. Characterisation refers to when an author uses particular techniques to create and develop characters appearance and personalities. …show more content…

By understanding these literary features, readers begin to appreciate the complex nature of the bible and the significance of the stories being told within it. "The Bible uses symbolism to express spiritual truths that are hard to express in any other way." (Ryken, 1984, p. 44) An example of a biblical passage that addresses symbolism is the book of Revelation. The book of Revelation is full of symbolism to convey deeper meanings and spiritual truths some of which can be very intense to decipher such as the lamb that had seven horns and seven eyes. The book of Revelation is a narrative that tells the story of a vision about the return of Jesus. While it does contain alot of symbolism, it still follows a narrative structure that includes having characters, a plot, and themes. In conclusion, the use of the literary features used in narrative, characterisation and symbolism, within the bible are of great importance to the understanding of the bible from a literary perspective. By understanding these features, it allows readers to understand the context and reasoning behind the character development and the stories that feature symbolism in a literary sense, which the bible uses to relay deep messages and a focus on morals and

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