SUGGESTION: Motif oriented All the in the Bible literary and archetypal topics

MJ. Smith
MJ. Smith MVP Posts: 54,773
edited December 2024 in English Forum

I hate to be unappreciative of the significant work done by Faithlife staff to produce the series All the altars in the Bible, All the Battles in the Bible, All the Burials in the Bible ... The problem is that I rarely run into use cases where these are actually useful to me. What I need is a similar set of resources/labels/search options/Bible browser facets for motifs. Examples:

1. All the Barren Women in the Bible

2. All the Coming out of Egypt in the Bible

3. All the Favored Younger Sons in the Bible

4. All the Wandering in the Wilderness in the Bible

5. All the Providence through Dreams in the Bible (a different focus than all the Dreams in the Bible)

6. All the Faithful Remnants in the Bible

7. All the Divine Testing in the Bible

8. All the Hero's Flight in the Bible

9. All the Sibling Rivalries in the Bible

10. All the Battle of Champions in the Bible

11. All the Divine Naming in the Bible

12. All the Anointed Ones in the Bible

13. All the Defying Authority for Divine Purposes in the Bible

14. All the Famine and Migration in the Bible (different focus than All the Famines in the Bible)

15. All the Divine Intervention in Battle in the Bible (different focus than All the Battles in the Bible)

16. All the Wise Women in the Bible

17. All the Unexpected Heroes of the Bible

18. All the Faithfulness in Adversity in the Bible

19. All the Royal Succession and Legitimacy (issues) in the Bible

20. All the Hospitality and its Rewards in the Bible

21. All the Restoration and Return in the Bible

22. All the Supernatural Encounters in the Bible

23. All the Fall and Redemption (accounts) in the Bible

You could easily find additional possibilities in some of your resources on motifs in the Scripture. While these sound similar to what you have done, the study of motifs represents a very different mindset in the study of Scripture than the historical event approach currently available. Motifs belong to the realm of literary analysis and my extend into interfaith archetypal analysis. Please broaden the perspective of Faithlife coding.

Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."

Comments

  • JBR
    JBR Member Posts: 211 ✭✭

    I like the concept that this list embodies. The idea that there are motifs that can be identified and that once identified and examined are able to bring about a greater understanding about what is actually taking place in Scripture rather than there just being some weird account in some place is really appealing. It reminds me of the approach that I often observe when I read or listen to Michael Heiser. It's not that he constructed "All the ..." type of lists but that when looking at what we might see as peculiar of just pass over as unimportant he would identify other places in Scripture where something similar was present. Then making use of context and clues identified by other sources he would show the way to greater understanding.

    A couple of questions:

    1. Do you have these listed in what is for you some prioritized order? Just thinking that if Faithlife were to decide to take this on, what would you think should be done first?
    2. Other than Faithlife taking this on is there any way that individuals could accomplish something of similar value on one or more if the lists, maybe delivered in the form of a PB or maybe in some other form?

    For God and For Neighbor

  • MJ. Smith
    MJ. Smith MVP Posts: 54,773
    https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1260745#Comment_1260745

    JBR said:

    Do you have these listed in what is for you some prioritized order? Just thinking that if Faithlife were to decide to take this on, what would you think should be done first?

    No, more in the order I thought of them.  The ones I would do first are the obvious ones I've known since childhood (which is rather a long time):

    1. barren women
    2. coming out of Egypt
    3. favored younger sons
    4. wandering in the wilderness

    And the ones I learned in the era of Campbell's popularity

    1. Axis Mundi
    2. Serpent

    JBR said:

    that individuals could accomplish something of similar value

    Yes, there are resources from which the lists can be drawn and we as users can create labels. Examples:

    • Hauge, Martin Ravndal. Between Sheol and Temple: Motif Structure and Function in the I-Psalms. Vol. 178. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1995.
    • Creach, Jerome F. D. Yahweh as Refuge and the Editing of the Hebrew Psalter. Vol. 217. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1996.
    • Gallusz, Laszlo. The Throne Motif in the Book of Revelation. Edited by Mark Goodacre. Vol. 487. Library of New Testament Studies. London; New Delhi; New York; Sydney: Bloomsbury, 2014.
    • Fields, Weston W. Sodom and Gomorrah: History and Motif in Biblical Narrative. Vol. 231. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1997.

    Some of the reference books on imagery also note motifs.

    Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."

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