Robert Schneider wrote:
> Bob DeHaan writes:
>
> > There is a new genre arising among Christian authors called "creative
> > spiritual nonfiction." It is nonfiction because it has a historical
> basis;
> > it is based on fact, not pure imagination. It is creative because it
> allows
> > the author to deal with the facts of the case in a creative way, using
> > his/her imagination. It is spiritual, rather than purely naturalistic, in
> > that it allows the author to add a spiritual dimension or interpretation
> to
> > both facts and imagination.
> >
> > The authors of the gospels and other parts of the Bible seemed to have
> > discovered this genre long before modern Christians writers reinvented it.
> >
> > Perhaps all nonscientific writers use the three elements of this genre in
> > varying proportions.
> >
> > Bob
> >
> Bob's note has stirred a couple of thoughts. I agree with him entirely
> that biblical writers combined historical tradition (the factual dimension)
> with creative imagination and spiritual interpretation, and that this
> quality of story-telling is universal and perhaps even an "innate"
> characteristic of human communication. Two OT events come to mind. One is
> the story of David and Goliath in I Sam. 17. Anyone who has studied
> literary genres will recognize the numerous folktale elements in the story,
> and it is these elements that give the story interest and delightfulness and
> make it memorable.
I agree with the basic point here: The story is clearly concerned with
more than just historical report. But there are at least a couple of features
which, wihile quite possibly historical, are very foreign to our way
of thinking.
1) Challenges like those of Goliath and single combat "between the
armies" was a fairly common feature of battles in the ancient world: This
particular folktale element has its origin in real happenings of that sort. (&
even in the 19th century we could note Bill Cody & Yellowhand.) But of course
it's highly unlikely today.
2) As presented in Sunday School we think of David as a
little kid with
a child's rubberband slingshot. But trained slingers could be a major force in
ancient armies & could be lethal: The Romans had auxiliaries from the Balearic
Islands with this skill.
Shalom,
George
George L. Murphy
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
"The Science-Theology Interface"
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