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SV5244 POETIC APPROACH TO POETIC TEXTS (A.Y. 2025/2026)
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Accademic Unit
Biblical Faculty
Description
The seminar provides students an opportunity to explore in depth the poetic nature and meaning of poetic texts within the wisdom literature of the Bible. Its primary aim is to cultivate and foster poetic sensitivity in exegetical work by offering students with the analytical tools necessary to examine the poetic structure, literary devices, and theological insights of selected passages. Students will become acquainted with the inherent ambiguity of poetic and figurative language, including metaphors and symbolic expressions, which invites multiple layers of meaning and open-ended interpretations. This complexity requires a deeper consideration and richer engagement with the text.
Objectives
1. Identifying and analysing key poetic structures and devices in selective texts in Wisdom Literature.
2. Articulating the interplay between form and meaning in poetic texts.
3. Construct and apply a poetic approach to exegesis and theological reflection.
4. Demonstrating critical engagement with secondary literature on Wisdom texts.
Modality
The seminar consists of 10 sessions, each lasting 120 minutes. Active student participation is required. For each session, students must prepare a written paper (1-2 pages) presenting the results of their analysis of a text chosen by the group. In addition, each student is required to make an oral presentation during the seminar.
Evaluation
1. Participation : 10% (Active involvement in discussions).
2. Presentation : 30% (personal presentation on a text chosen by the student).
3. Final Paper : 60% (Exegetical work, based on the chosen text that the student presented in the class).
Information
- Semester: 2° Semestre
- ECTS: 5
Teachers
Gia An CAO
Lesson schedule/Room
Lessons schedule not available
Alonso-Schökel, L., Manuale di Poetica Ebraica (BiBi 1; Brescia 1989); A Manual of Hebrew Poetics (SubBi 11; Roma 2000).
Berlin , A., The Dynamics of Biblical Parallelism (Grand Rapids 22008).
Crenshaw , J.L., Old Testament Wisdom. An Introduction (Louis‧ville 32010).
Fox , M.V., Proverbs. An Eclectic Commentary (Sheffield 2015).
Dell , K.J., The Poetic Wisdom of Ecclesiastes. An Introduction and Commentary (Cambridge 2020).
Dobbs-Allsopp , F.W., On Biblical Poetry (Oxford 2015).
Fokkelman, J.P. , Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible . At the Interface of Hermeneutics and Structural Analysis (SSN 41; Assen 1998).
Id ., Reading Biblical Poetry. An Introductory Guide (Louisville 2001).
Fowler , D. The Shape of Biblical Language. Chiasmus in the Scriptures and Beyond (Toronto 1982).
Kugel, J.L., The Idea of Biblical Poetry. Parallelism and Its History (Baltimore 1981).
Linafelt , T., The Hebrew Bible as Literature . A Very Short Introduction (Oxford 2016).
Lowth , R., Lectures on the Sacred Poetry of the Hebrews (Anglistica & Americana 43; London 1787).
Murphy , R.E., The Tree of Life. An Exploration of Biblical Wisdom Literature (Grand Rapids 32002).
Perdue , Leo G. Wisdom Literature. A Theological History (Louisville 2007).
Seow , C.-L., Job 1-21. Interpretation and Commentary (Grand Rapids 2013).
Shea , W.H., The Psalms as Hebrew Poetry. A Practical Guide (Washington 1986).
Watson , W.G.E., Classical Hebrew Poetry. A Guide to Its Techniques (JSOTS 26; Sheffield 1984).
Whybray , R. N. Reading the Psalms as a Book (Sheffield 2016).