The Bible as Literature

Whether or not you are Christian, you have most likely heard at least one story from the Bible. The Bible is one of the best selling and most referenced texts of all time and is important in studying the humanities. I had never read the Bible before and reading Genesis was an interesting experience. If we read the Bible as literature from a critical perspective, we can uncover symbolism as well as analyze the characters the genres in the text.

            One topic of interest from Genesis is the tree of good and evil. In class we discussed whether or not God assumed that humans would ever eat fruit from the tree. If God didn’t want any humans to eat from this tree, what was the purpose of him putting it there in the first place? If Adam and Eve had never eaten the forbidden fruit, then it appears their lives would be very easy. Adam and Eve may not have been intended to eat the fruit but perhaps God had anticipated that someone would eventually eat from the tree of knowledge. I personally think it is the latter option. God seems to lose some control over humanity as the offspring of Adam and Eve grow up. First, there is the Cain and Able story and then God chooses to “make an end of all flesh” (p.5) because the Earth was too corrupt and violent. If this corruptness and violence were in fact caused by the original sin of eating the forbidden fruit, then it seems that God was not prepared for the consequences.

            Another interesting discussion from class was about the different genres in the Bible. Genesis clearly contains elements of many varieties of contemporary styles such as horror stories and dramas. The drama between Abraham, Sarah and Hagar is sure to come up in many modern movies, shows and probably quite frequently in reality as well. I think that drawing modern day parallels is a useful tool in reading the Bible as literature. If the Bible is read from a literary standpoint as opposed to a religious perspective, then we can critically analyze all the characters, including God. Even God exhibits characteristics seen in dramas and horror stories. Vengeance, wrath, jealously are a few examples. In Genesis, God nearly wipes out the entire planet yet then tells Noah to repopulate the Earth. God is still the supreme power of all but the character of God is not always in complete control. In this way, reading the Bible from a critical literary view opens the door for a lot of new questions and angles for analysis.