Five Categories of Bible Writings By Gregory Koukl

Five Categories of Bible Writings

By Gregory Koukl*

Each type of writing has its own special considerations for biblical interpretation.
The author's intent is somewhat implied by the type of literature.

A. Historical narrative (55% OT, 66% NT)

   1. Matt: Written with the Jews in mind; starts with a genealogy, presents Jesus as King
   2. Mark: Written with the Romans in mind; presents Jesus as Servant
   3. Luke: Written with the Greeks in mind; presents Jesus as perfect Man
   4. John: The gospel of belief unto eternal life; presents Jesus as Son of God
   5. Acts: The early church in transition
   6. Much of the Old Testament

B. Wisdom literature

   1. Job
   2. Proverbs
   3. Ecclesiastes

C. Poetic literature

   1. Psalms
   2. Song of Solomon

D. Epistles

   1. Written to:
          * Individual people: Titus, Timothy
          * Specific churches: Ephesus, Philippi, Corinth
          * Regions: Galatians
          * Groups of people: Hebrews, Romans
   2. Generally for the purpose of:
          * Solving a problems or...
          * Instructing in proper conduct for Christians and Christian workers.

E. Prophecy

   1. Major & minor prophets
   2. Book of Revelation

* Article (c)1998 Gregory Koukl. Reproduction permitted for non-commercial use only. For more information, contact Stand to Reason at 1438 East 33rd St., Signal Hill, CA 90755, (800) 2-REASON, (562) 595-7333, www.str.org