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Index
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Constrained by red tape.
Literary constraints fall roughly into two broad categories: general and contextual. Inevitably, there will be a certain amount of overlap, for things are seldom black or white.
There are 'general constraints' which apply when writing at any level. For example: intelligibility, vocabulary, grammar, punctuation, and so on. These all fall within the scope of English Language studies, and so require no further mention here.
Whether writing fiction or non-fiction, one generally wishes to make oneself understood. And an author will have some idea of the intended audience.
There is a move afoot to relax spelling, punctuation, and the rules of grammar. Its origins appear to lie with the social media sites, where anything goes language-wise, and confusion is of little or no importance. But imagine the consequences of this dumbing down of English! For example: writing or dispensing prescriptions; business; law; engineering; medicine; manufacturing ... the modern world, where English is becoming the lingua franca.
As well as the general constraints on language, there are also those which are 'context dependent'. For example, one might be writing for a specific audience or about a specialized topic.
Where one is writing about a technical topic for a general audience, constraints of 'simplicity' and 'avoidance of jargon' will apply. An academic audience, on the other hand, might be expected to bring all their specialized knowledge, training, experience, and critical faculties to bear on a piece of work.
The general and contextual constraints mentioned above will, of course, apply to the Scriptures. Religion is a specialist subject in its own right, and will therefore have its own set of associated constraints. Furthermore, the Scriptures are translations from original manuscripts; so there are going to be additional constraints related to provenance, document selection, and translation.
One wouldn't wish to make life difficult for anyone or put obstacles in their way; yet, in the Scriptures, we find the Lord God and His Son making extensive use of obfuscation (qv)!
Are the Scriptures a work of fiction or non-fiction? It will be necessary to examine and understand the content in order to find the answer to the question. And a knowledge of literary constraints will help along the way!
The literary aspects of a work, even of a serious study, are not unimportant. Get it wrong and the reader will be lost or alienated before the end of the first paragraph.
The literary and technical difficulties are enormous, particularly in such a work as the Scriptures, where the aim is to appeal to every person regardless of culture, education, position, or station. Pitch the work too low, and it will be discarded by scholar and expert alike; pitch the work too high, and it will go right over the heads of those lacking the necessary intellectual skills. Pitch the level of the work for primitive societies, and the advanced societies will belittle and disregard it; cater to the needs of advanced societies, and emerging societies will be left behind.
Many in today's society will be dismissive of the Scripture's opening chapters, with its seemingly simplistic account of creation.
It is difficult to pitch a serious study at a level which will appeal to everyone, and which can be understood by those who read it; in contrast, many text books will specify the level of expertise of their intended audience.
The Scriptures deal with real life as it happens. Everything is there; nothing is hidden. There are the heroes; there are the villains, and there are the victims. And any lapses into sin and error are not swept under the carpet but are faithfully recorded.
Adventure is there in abundance. But, unlike today's films there is no computer-generated imagery; instead, we must use our imagination and our mind if we are to bring the narrative to life (eg, the Scapegoat)
[Assignment: Has annulment of the Covenant by Paul et al enhanced the appeal of the Bible?]
[Assignment: The Bible is not an easy read. To what extent has the need for help in reading it reduced its appeal?]
[Assignment: To what extent do current Bibl-helps either help or hinder?]
The Scriptures must meet the needs of everyone! For example:
The [Scriptural] narrative has been kept relatively simple - or so it would seem. Down through the ages, it has had to cater to every level of civilisation, to ages ranging from the very young to the elderly, to people at every level of education, to people from every walk of life, to people of every social standing, and to people in every circumstance.
The Lord God expects us to read the text with intelligence and sensitivity. It would be a mistake to dismiss the text as being merely a children's story with little relevance in the modern world. The text is deceptive, for there is surprising depth to it.
When the literary constraints placed on Scripture are understood, God's achievement will be appreciated and applauded. Instead of dismissing Scripture as a kid's story or a work of fiction, work can begin on digging for the treasure which is buried deep within the text. Those efforts will not go unrewarded, for that buried treasure, those hidden veins of pure gold, will be found!
Few things can be more off-putting than a sermon which drones on and on for eternity, or a book with so many pages that it can barely be lifted!
There is a difficult balance here! Too long, and a book will perhaps be ignored; too short, and a book will lack essential content.
By decoupling technical content from the narrative, the Lord God is able to keep the Scriptures to a manageable length. What remains is an account of events and the spiritual content. Any scientific or technical details can then be extracted in the light of current progress and knowledge.
'Clarity' - the quality of being coherent and intelligible (Dictionary of English) - is essential if people are to be kept from getting hold of the wrong end of the stick and going off in the wrong direction.
Failure to keep to the original text will:
Paraphrasing requires care. One might, perhaps, equate the mark of the beast (Rev. 13: 16-17 YLT) with a bar-coded tatoo or micro-chip. This is something one can relate to today; and it perhaps offers a certain amount of insight into what is to come. However, although this meaning might be acceptable in time-stamped discussion, it would be unwise to replace the original words, since the eventual context may be very different and far more sinister than can be imagined today.
See Decoupling
By extrinsic constraints, is meant the impact of forces outside of the church: government, legislature, social media...
[Dissertation: Extrinsic constraints on the church.]
Integrity is an essential requirement of Scripture. If integrity is compromised, then the message is compromised. If the message is compromised, then outreach will be compromised. And if integrity is not restored, then exponential descent into evil will surely follow.
Although literary constraints must be upheld, there are occasions when the rules can be relaxed a little. The Scriptures must be presented in such a way as to be accessible by all. Intellect and capacity will vary enormously across the population. One way of providing access is by allowing poetic license.
A certain amount of poetic license is essential if the narrative is to reach everyone in a way they can understand. In the hands of the Lord God, a story, poem, picture, or ritual may become a technical, academic, or scientific allegory.
Music and dance don't come across particularly well in the written word!
It is unlikely that poetry or song will survive translation, since it will fail to rhyme or to scan - and forcing the issue will only lead to distortion. Clive James, in his translation of Dante, the Divine Comedy, explains some of the problems he encountered.
Version: 2024-11-30