Sodom and Gomorrah: History and Motif in Biblical Narrative
Overview
According to Weston W. Fields, biblical narrative is a didactic socio-religious commentary on human experience reflected in history, and that such history is a way of describing the conceptual universe of the ancient authors. Biblical narrative is strikingly free of abstract formulations but encapsulates abstract reflections within recurring literary motifs and by the reporting of historical information. This perception of biblical narrative is strikingly illustrated by an analysis of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19). The motifs of the Sodom tradition are compared with those in the stories about the concubine in Gibeah (Judges 19) and about the destruction of Jericho (Joshua 2).
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Top Highlights
“This definition demonstrates that ‘motif’ is used both in a more restrictive sense (a recurring character or theme), as well as in a broader sense (a recurring event or situation). But whether employed restrictively or broadly, ‘motif’ implies recurrence, for it is recurrence that turns occurrence into a motif.” (Page 19)
“Such repetitions and similarities should be understood as a conscious effort by a writer to create a type of plot which would be familiar, hence more readily acceptable, to his audience. This ‘accommodation’ to the audience’s expectations grows out of the fact that communication between an author and his audience is more easily accomplished when familiar forms are employed.” (Page 18)
“. A motif may be a narrative backup for established legal norms” (Page 20)
- Title: Sodom and Gomorrah: History and Motif in Biblical Narrative
- Author: Weston W. Fields
- Publisher: Sheffield Academic Press
- Publication Date: 2009
- Pages: 228
Weston W. Fields is the Executive Director of The Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation, Jerusalem.