Date of Award
Fall 1994
Document Type
Dissertation - Restricted
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Theology
First Advisor
Edwards, Richard A.
Second Advisor
Hinze, Bradford E.
Third Advisor
Stockhauser, Caroll
Abstract
Despite efforts to the contrary, the chasm between historical-critical and literary critical study of the scriptures, though shortened, continues to plague biblical research. Practitioners of the one are accused of showing unwarranted concern for matters outside the text, and fragmenting the text according to dubious source and redactional hypotheses. Proponents of the other are open to the criticism that by working exclusively inside the text they are neglecting important aspects which could inform what could otherwise become a misreading of the text. Caricatures aside, the application of modern literary theory to scripture, and particularly to narratives, has provided an appropriate impetus to treat texts as literary units, and to take the world of the text seriously. Yet narratology needs controls if it is to avoid the "environmental displacement" that can result from failure to take into account the chronological and cultural distance that separates us from the origins of the Greco-Roman narrative...