Narrative Criticism of the New Testament: An Introduction
Digital Verbum Edition
Overview
Narrative criticism, which involves the application of literary critical methods to the study of Scripture, is a promising hermeneutical approach. Surprisingly, however, little has been written that surveys the field for a broader audience. James Resseguie's primer admirably fills that gap.
Readers will discover here a particularly well-balanced introduction to the subject. For those concerned with theoretical issues, there is a thorough survey of methodology, critical concepts, and the significance of literary devices. Numerous examples illustrate the fruitfulness of literary approaches for interpreting particular texts.
Following an introduction that identifies the methods of narrative criticism and distinguishes them from other hermeneutical approaches, Resseguie devotes chapters to the principal elements of narrative: setting, point of view, character, rhetoric, plot, and reader. For each, he offers practical examples of how a “close reading” of the text can discover important nuances and insights.
Resseguie points out that narrative criticism has the advantage of dealing with the text as a self-contained unit, avoiding the fragmentation often produced by other methodologies. His accessible introduction is ideal for seminarians, M.A. students, upper-divisional undergraduates, and pastors who want to learn how narrative interpretation can open up the New Testament texts.
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- Views the studied texts as a whole
- Examines the complexities and nuances of a text through close readings
- Includes readings that are studies of individual narratives in the Gospels and Revelation
- Introducing Narrative Criticism
- Rhetoric
- Setting
- Character
- Point of View
- Plot
- Applying Narrative Criticism
Resseguie’s Narrative Criticism of the New Testament introduces students to a time-honored but sometimes neglected approach to getting at the message of biblical texts. His design for ‘close reading’ is both intellectually respectable and aesthetically rewarding; it is also relatively easy to learn, since he presents it in a manner that is clear and concise, abounding with memorable illustrations. Those who are committed to his goal of ‘engaging scripture on its own terms’ will find he is a reliable guide to renewing and enhancing their appreciation of biblical stories and the art of storytelling.
--Mark Allan Powell, professor of New Testament, Trinity Lutheran Seminary
In this engaging book, James L. Resseguie offers a clear and compelling demonstration of how to do narrative criticism of the New Testament—and why it’s worth doing.
--James Phelan, Humanities Distinguished Professor, Ohio State University; editor, Narrative
Biblical interpretation often becomes so analytic that it deters rather than enhances the actual reading of Scripture by disciples. What counts in the final analysis is what happens when the biblical text is handled by the pastoral interpreter and the lay reader. James Resseguie has given us a profoundly scholarly book that is eminently usable for pastors and lay persons as they live in and from the narratives of Scripture. For scholars and seminarians this will be a standard for narrative criticism.
--M. Douglas Meeks, Cal Turner Chancellor Professor of Theology and Wesleyan Studies, The Divinity School, Vanderbilt University