Class Notes

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​​Character in Biblical Narrative

Intro

• from Ancient Greek χαρακτήρ  (“type, nature, character”), from χαράσσω (“I engrave”).
• Biblical authors use characters as vehicles for their message primarily through showing rather than telling.
• Biblical characters are not always the best example for us.
• But the biblical authors use them to communicate the morals and ethics of a godly life.
• There are two types of Characterization: Direct and Indirect.

 
Direct

• Narrators rarely make comments about characters in Biblical Narrative.
• when they do, it’s with small details or brief phrases like:
  • Physical appearance: Joseph’s looks, Saul’s stature, Esau’s hair, but only when relevant to the narrative.
  • Moral evaluation of a character’s actions: did evil, did good, righteous, wise, foolish.
  • Favoritism in the story of Isaac and Rebecca.

Indirect

• Through names, action, or speech.

1) Names

• Often indicate their role in the story.
• Examples:
  • Saul means “the one asked for.”
  • Abram/Abraham means “exalted father/father of a multitude.”
  • Israel means “struggles with God.”
  • Adam means “humanity.”
  • Elijah means “Yaweh is my God.”

2) Actions

• Biblical narrators prefer to show people’s character rather than evaluate their actions.
• Characters are something the biblical authors tend to speak with rather than about.
• Biblical narrators often let you reflect on the character's decisions rather than judge their behavior.
• Example: Moses kills an Egyptian. Why? Justice? An anger problem? Is his behavior good or bad?

3) Speech

• Often, the narrative pauses and a key character will offer a long speech:
  • speech in Josh. 24; Samuel in 1 Sam. 8 or 12; Solomon in 1 Kgs. 8
  • a song in Jacob, Gen. 49; Moses, Exod. 15; Hannah, 1 Sam. 2.
• Sometimes, speech reveals character:
  • Abraham speaking to his servants in Genesis 22. “The boy and I will go to the mountain and we will worship and we will return.” Is Abraham full of faith, or is he selling a line to avoid suspicion?

Conclusion

• biblical narrative seems to intentionally leave out commentary about its characters.
• this forces you, the reader, to draw the conclusions.

 
God as Character

• God is the only consistent character in the Bible.
• The real reason for God's presence in biblical stories is to reveal His character, identity, and purpose in history:
  • Character: God wants good for people, and he wants to share creation with them (Gen. 1-2). God brings justice on human evil, and is willing to forgive and restore.
  • Identity: The author of the universe is the God revealed through the family of Abraham and Israel and ultimately through Jesus of Nazareth.
  • Purpose: God’s purpose is to rescue his creation from evil so it can be shared in love for eternity.

 
God's Dual Role:
1) Present and Involved

• In Genesis 1-11 God is a present, direct character walking and talking with people.
• The angel of the LORD comes to Hagar, Abraham’s pregnant slave, in the wilderness (Gen. 16:7-16).
• Moses encounters God in the burning bush and God calls him to bring the Israelites out of Egypt (Exod. 3-4, 24-31).
• In Numbers, God is present with the people as a pillar of cloud in the Israelite camp, speaking directly to Moses as he leads the people through the wilderness.

2) Absent or Mysterious

• In stories like Genesis 37-50, or in stories about King David, Esther, or Ruth, God is depicted as indirect, sporadically known, and hard to perceive.
• He supervises events from behind the scenes.
• The drama of these stories is about how the characters will relate to God when they don’t know what’s going on.

Remember

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About Characters in the Biblical Narrative:

• Presented without commentary (showing rather than telling).
• Not always best examples for us (we should learn from their mistakes).
• God is the only consistent character in the Bible and He is the One we should imitate.