ABSTRACT
A Study on Narrative Interpretation and Homiletic Methods of the Old Testament
Kim, Jae Ryong
Dept, Homiletics
The Graduate School of Pastoral Ministry
Chongshin University
Major Advisor: Jung, Woo Hong
The present paper is based on the p...
ABSTRACT
A Study on Narrative Interpretation and Homiletic Methods of the Old Testament
Kim, Jae Ryong
Dept, Homiletics
The Graduate School of Pastoral Ministry
Chongshin University
Major Advisor: Jung, Woo Hong
The present paper is based on the premise that attempts should be made to deliver biblical sermons not only as simple functions of expressing various forms of literature contained in the Bible but also as means of conveying its significance in a formative way.
To make good use of a variety of literary forms used in the Bible such as narratives, covenants, poetry, wisdom literature, prophecies, gospels, letters, etc. is believed to be one of the best ways to convey most effectively what the writers of the Bible intended to express. In this sense, the Bible, the words of GOD, may be classified by literary genre.
For this purpose, a preacher should have deep concern about the significance of words used in the texts of the Bible as a biblical interpreter as well as about the literary forms found in them. Moreover, in order to deliver the words of the Bible in more effective and faithful manner, a preacher should try to interpret the Bible by means of the literary form its writers chose in recording the biblical texts and to make sermons in compliance with its literary forms.
It may be thus suggested to introduce a method of interpretation and sermon conveying the original meaning of the biblical texts in a literary form, instead of interpreting the texts and giving sermons in such criticized manneristic manner as "the three main topics and one example".
In view of this, the present study selects specifically the narratives of the Old Testament from among lots of genres in the Bible for analysis. In fact, sermons about the Old Testament have been discounted in the Korean circles of preachers despite the fact that it accounts for 75% of the whole Bible. Furthermore, more than 40% of the Old Testament are composed of the texts in a narrative form. Therefore, to bring focus into the study of narratives used in the Old Testament and apply them to sermons is believed to be a shortcut to approach to the exact significance of the texts that comprise more than half of the Bible and make sermons in full reflection of such meanings.
To make a sermon in such a way as to deliver the meaning of the biblical texts more faithfully, it is requested to investigate characters and components of narratives and interpret them from their viewpoint. For this aim, efforts are made in this study to examine the components of narratives including plot, personage, events, background, standpoints of interpreters, functions and roles of each rhetorical structure, etc. Besides, the message contained in the biblical texts in the form of narratives may be highlighted if and when interpretation is made with a focus on their components.
In sum, a narrative sermon is not simply an address of the narrative texts. It is rather a try for the audience to share in experiences of events and characters of the Bible through vividity, unity and linguistic as well as formative features of its texts. A narrative sermon may therefore be said to be the best method to interpret and signify the texts in a narrative form.
It must be added here, however, that a narrative sermon has advantages of attracting active participation of the audience in it but, at the same time, has limitations of leading to "open conclusions" and overemphasizing experiences of the audience. In fighting such limitations of a narrative sermon, it may not be proper to assert that a narrative sermon is the only way of giving sermons. It is also desirable for preachers to make desperate endeavors to overcome such limitations. In addition, efforts should also be made to include narrative sermons in the yearly sermon plan for various literary forms of the Bible.
As a suggestion to help beat such problems of narratives, an example of sermon in a narrative form is offered in this paper by referring to the case of Abraham who, as recorded in the chapter 16 of Genesis, hastily mobilized a human method and interpreting it by means of factors comprizing narrative texts.