Modern Genre Theory

How a better understanding of genre leads to a better understanding of the biblical text.

The Bible, with its gloriously rich diversity of ancient genres, demands a flexible and historically aware approach to genre. Different conceptions of narrative, poetry, gospel, epistle, wisdom, and apocalyptic texts lead to vastly different readings, and our disagreements about what the Bible means often boil down to different assumptions about what the biblical text is. As secular genre theory has experienced a recent renaissance, biblical studies has been left in the dark ages of rigid taxonomies and stubborn essentialism.

The Bible deserves better.

This book offers students in biblical studies an accessible but comprehensive introduction to modern genre theory, providing access to literary tools for understanding how writers and readers use genre to make meaning.

Modern Genre Theory describes the current state of biblical genre theory (as well as the meaning of form criticism and why it needs to die). Scholar of biblical hermeneutics Andrew Judd then presents a better alternative of interpretation based on the best developments in secular literary theory, linguistics, and rhetorical studies.

Drawing on advancements in modern genre theory, Judd:

• Proposes a working definition of genre for biblical studies.


• Identifies twelve tenets of modern genre theory that follow from seeing genres in their historical and social context.


• Offers eight case studies in biblical exegesis to show how a better understanding of genre leads to a better understanding of the Bible.

From the creation accounts of Genesis to the visions of Revelation, it is important to get a handle on genre. This book offers a way to reading the Bible better.

Tables, discussion questions, further reading, and a glossary can be found in the audiobook companion PDF download.