Embedded Genres in the New Testament

“Brown’s book, although learned, is accessible and engaging. It is an invitation to the art of noticing, a call to sit and ruminate that will move readers of the New Testament to realize that, all too often, they have been seeing without seeing.”—Dale C. Allison Jr., Princeton Theological Seminary

“New Testament scholar Jeannine Brown draws from a deep well of experience and expertise in biblical interpretation. In Embedded Genres in the New Testament she offers a fresh look at how the microgenres within biblical books relate to their macrogenre and why that matters for more-faithful interpretation. Every interpreter of the Bible, whether a professional or a serious student, will benefit from Brown’s latest work.”—Karen H. Jobes, Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor Emerita of New Testament Greek and Exegesis, Wheaton College

“At its best, biblical exegesis is a journey of discovery, in which the attentive reader sees and hears the text afresh. Brown’s nuanced study takes her readers on just such a journey, both modeling fine-grained historical and literary attention to the dynamics of embedded genres and giving her readers the tools to do the same. This book is a boon to all serious teachers and students of the New Testament.”—Susan Eastman, associate research professor emerita, Duke Divinity School

“Brown has distinguished herself as an expert on biblical hermeneutics and exegesis, and here she illuminates ‘embedded genres,’ micro-literary pieces within a larger text. Brown offers a convincing case that readers benefit greatly from keen awareness of where these embedded units occur, how they deserve special attention, and how they affect the whole. She fills a gap left by textbooks that often miss this important topic.”—Nijay K. Gupta, professor of New Testament, Northern Seminary

“Sometimes I think good interpretation of the Bible is about slowing down—taking notice of, puzzling over, sitting with scriptural texts. Sometimes I think it’s about better readerly habits—listening (really listening!), asking good questions, exploring. Centering our attention on embedded literary forms in the Bible, on how they shape and are shaped by the books in which they appear, Jeannine Brown cultivates good habits by urging us to slow down and listen up. Her work with texts from Philippians, Matthew, and 1 Peter is stimulating on its own terms, and even more so as she addresses larger interpretive possibilities and invites us to do the same.”—Joel B. Green, senior professor of New Testament interpretation, Fuller Theological Seminary

“With her typical care and clarity, Jeannine Brown has given us an accessible exploration not only of the important idea of genres but also of how they can be nested inside one another. The introduction and case studies model for us a thoughtful and fruitful reading of Scripture.”—Jonathan T. Pennington, professor of New Testament, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“The best approach to the interpretation of any biblical text begins with genre identification. In this book, Jeannine Brown polishes our ‘genre-sensitive’ lens to help us detect changes that reveal genres embedded within other forms. This hermeneutical practice sheds light on layers of meaning within the world of the text that have thus far gone unnoticed. Brown is both clear and convincing.”—David B. Capes, director, Lanier Theological Library

“A proper understanding of ancient genres is fundamental to biblical interpretation. But since each scriptural text consists of a variety of literary forms, the task of interpreters extends beyond merely identifying the characteristics of a single type of literature; readers must also account for the use of one genre in another. It is surprising, therefore, that this topic has received so little attention within modern scholarship. This book fills the lacuna perfectly, however. By carefully delineating the function and significance of embedded genres, Jeannine K. Brown has supplied readers of the New Testament with a valuable resource, one that brings fresh interpretive perspective to familiar texts.”—Travis B. Williams, Tusculum University