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Exegesis |
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Form Criticism
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Definition
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- Form
criticism is the study of the structure, content and function
of literary or oral units.
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Method
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- To
read a text form-critically, apply these four steps to it:
- Discover the form. Isolate the beginning and end of a logical sense
unit. [Clue: In the Bible, forms are often grouped
together; the forms can therefore be more easily identified
because the formal beginnings/endings repeat regularly and
in close succession.]
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- Describe the form. Break the text down into sense lines, then name
these lines in terms of their intent (e.g., accusation,
verdict, prediction). Once you have done this
for the parts of your form, name the entire form.
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- Determine the content and intent of the entire form. Here
is a chart of some common "pairs" of a form’s
content and intent:
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Content
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Intent
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data
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information
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summary
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narrative
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teaching, or a moral
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didactic
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news
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proclamation
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legal charge
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accusation
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plea
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petition
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- Suggest
a social location for such a form (e.g., temple liturgy,
preaching, royal court, school, law court, marketplace,
home). Where might such a form be used? If
you have trouble imagining a setting, ask yourself
who would be interested in promoting and preserving
the content of your text.
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Bibliography
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- Method
Bultmann, Rudolf Karl and Karl Kundsin. Form
Criticism: A New Method of New Testament Research, trans.
Frederick C. Grant. New York: Harper, 1962.
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- Buss,
Martin J. Biblical Form Criticism in Its Context,
JSOTSup 274. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press,
1999.
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Kselman, John S., S.S. and Ronald D. Witherup, S.S.
"Modern New Testament Criticism."
In The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (ed. Raymond
E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer and Roland E. Murphy; Englewood
Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1990) 1130-45, esp. 1137-42.
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McKnight, Edgar V. What Is Form Criticism? Philadelphia:
Fortress, 1969.
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Suelzer, Alexa, S.P. and John S. Kselman, S.S. "Modern
Old Testament Criticism." In The New
Jerome Biblical Commentary (ed. Raymond E. Brown, Joseph
A. Fitzmyer and Roland E. Murphy; Englewood Cliffs, New
Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1990) 1113-29, esp. 1122-4.
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Tucker, Gene M. Form Criticism of the Old
Testament. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1971.
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- Applications
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Bultmann, Rudolf Karl. The History of the
Synoptic Tradition, trans. John Marsh. New
York: Harper & Row, 1963.
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Buss, Martin J., ed. Encounter with the Text:
Form and History in the Hebrew Bible, Semeia Studies. Philadelphia:
Fortress, 1979.
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Dibelius, Martin. From Tradition to Gospel. New
York: Scribner, 1965.
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Eissfeldt, Otto. The Old Testament: An Introduction,
trans. Peter R. Ackroyd. New York: Harper and
Row, 1965.
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Fohrer, George. Introduction to the Old Testament.
Nashville: Abingdon, 1968.
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Gerstenberger, E. "Psalms." In
Old Testament Form Criticism (ed. John H. Hayes;
San Antonio: Trinity University Press, 1974) 179-223.
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Gunkel, Hermann. The Psalms: A Form-Critical
Introduction, trans. Thomas M. Horner, Facet Books Biblical
Series 19. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1967.
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