Questions tagged [literary-criticism]

Analysis of a works intended audience and purpose, as well as the development of the work over time.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
1 vote
1 answer
59 views

Why the infrequent use of epithets in the Old Testament?

In the book, "The Art of Biblical Narrative", which I gather is a fairly common and well-regarded book, Robert Alter makes an interesting observation that we rarely see epithets used in the ...
14 votes
9 answers
2k views

What about the story of the "Rich Man and Lazarus" indicates whether it is a parable or not?

To extend this previous question, what about the text of the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man indicates whether it should be considered a parable or an "actual" account?
1 vote
0 answers
47 views

What is the Catholic approach to the analysis of stories, characters, and fiction?

In the Catholic Church there is a uniquely Catholic approach to almost any human subject. What is the Catholic approach to the analysis of fiction, stories, and characters? What I mean by "...
3 votes
4 answers
642 views

How do non-LDS Christians respond to the stylometry argument for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon?

Multiple sources have put forward this argument. For example, the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies article Stylometric Analyses of the Book of Mormon: A Short History (link) affirms: Abstract The ...
2 votes
2 answers
330 views

How can the gospels use omniscient narration?

I've come across some criticism of the gospels as historical accounts based on the author’s ability to know certain events that seem unknowable, or at least hard to know, like the quote below: Mark’s ...
3 votes
1 answer
753 views

Which Prison Epistles are considered to have been written from Rome?

I recognise the modern challenges of traditional/specific dating of the NT books; and that this may suggest various answers. Are there any letters which are reliably recognised as having been written ...
4 votes
2 answers
34k views

Why is the Gospel of Mark said to present Jesus as "the Servant"?

It is often asserted that the Gospel of Mark distinctively presents Jesus as the Servant, even the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. What is it about the particular content of the gospel of Mark that ...
4 votes
4 answers
690 views

Did the importance of the resurrection increase as the New Testament was written?

I've often heard that if you lay out the books of the New Testament by the chronological order of their composition, the story of Jesus' resurrection becomes more important in the later books. Some ...
6 votes
2 answers
226 views

Would the bible draw parallels between the spies returning from Canaan and modern biblical criticism?

When the spies returned from Canaan, to verify the kind of land God was going to gives them, all but two said, among other problems, that there was 'big strong men' there. Therefore, if they tried to ...