On Biblical Poetry

by F.W. Dobbs-Allsopp

Overview

On Biblical Poetry takes a fresh look at the nature of biblical Hebrew poetry beyond its currently best-known feature, parallelism. F.W. Dobbs-Allsopp argues that biblical poetry is in most respects just like any other verse tradition, and therefore biblical poems should be read and interpreted like other poems, using the same critical tools and with the same kinds of guiding assumptions in place. He offers a series of programmatic essays on major facets of biblical verse, each aspiring to alter currently regnant conceptualizations in the field and to show that attention to aspects of prosody--rhythm, lineation, and the like--allied with close reading can yield interesting, valuable, and even pleasurable interpretations. What distinguishes the verse of the Bible, says Dobbs-Allsopp, is its historicity and cultural specificity, those peculiar encrustations and encumbrances that typify all human artifacts. Both the literary and the historical, then, are in view throughout. The concluding essay elaborates a close reading of Psalm 133. This chapter enacts the final movement to the set of literary and historical arguments mounted throughout the volume--an example of the holistic staging which, Dobbs-Allsopp argues, is much needed in the field of Biblical Studies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190463533
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	08/19/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

F.W. Dobbs-Allsopp is an Associate Professor of Old Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary.

Table of Contents

Introduction - Biblical Poetry Beyond Parallelism Chapter One - "Verse, Properly So Called": The Line in Biblical Poetry Terminology Manuscript Evidence for the Line The "Verse Line" in Oral Poetry The Line from the Other's Perspective Internal Evidence for the Line Summary Chapter Two - The Free Rhythms of Biblical Hebrew Poetry Through Whitman's Eyes Biblical Hebrew Poetry is Not Metrical The Shape of Poetic Rhythm Orality, Song, and Music The Free Rhythms of Biblical Poetry Summary Chapter Three - The Idea of Lyric Poetry in the Bible The Hebrew Lyric Summary Lyric in extenso: Probing (Some) Possibilities in the Song Beyond Lyric: Toward a Richer Understanding of (Other) Biblical Poems Chapter Four - An Informing Orality: Biblical Poetic Style Some Preliminary Points of Orientation Prob(lematiz)ing the Question of Hebrew Narrative Poetry Nonnarrative Oral Poetry, Or: Orality Poeticized Otherwise Signs of (Nonnarrative) Orality in Biblical Poetry Emergent Textuality Conclusions Chapter Five - The Way of Poetry in Psalm 133 I II III IV Closing Notes Bibliography Index

Editorial Reviews

"stands out as one of the most wide-ranging monographs on Biblical Hebrew poetry published in recent years" — Adam Plescia, Catholic Biblical Quarterly

"What distinguishes the work, beyond its focus on 'underappreciated' components of Hebrew poetry, is its breadth and depth of analysis, its thickness...The reader is exposed not only to new ways of understanding Hebrew poems, but to new ways of orienting and thinking about the elementary dimensions of poetry itself. The detail presented is rich and sometimes provocative."—Eric D. Reymond, Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology

"A rich feast on the nature and essence of biblical poetry that is informative, insightful, and thoroughly illustrated from biblical poetry itself....This is a rewarding, scholarly book that invites the reader into the delightful depths of biblical poetry. I cannot recommend it highly enough as it furthers the discussions begun by giants such as Lowth, O Connor, and others who have made significant contributions (e.g. Berlin, Kugel, Cooper, and Alter)....F. W. Dobbs-Allsopp s On Biblical Poetry is perhaps the best book written on biblical poetry in a generation."—Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

"On Biblical Poetry offers a capacious and intelligent treatment of four fundamental topics: the line as the basic poetic unit; biblical poetry as free verse (brilliant!); the significant extent of lyric; and orality as the informing sensibility of poetic style. Drawing insights from comparative literature, linguistics and physiology, this is the most important book on the subject in over a quarter-century and a must-read for students of biblical poetry today." —Mark S. Smith, author of Poetic Heroes: Literary Commemorations of Warriors and Warrior Culture in the Early Biblical World

"Dobbs-Allsopp offers a feast of learning and insight for students of biblical poetry. His discussions of verse structure and poetic rhythm are not only attentive to the history of biblical scholarship but also take fruitful recourse to other poetic traditions and pertinent theoretical work. His argument for the prevalence of the 'lyric' and his claim that even the most literary poetry is imbued with an 'informing orality' are filled with interest and likely to provoke discussion and debate. The final chapter, a meticulous close reading of Psalm 133, is a critical tour de force. Dobbs-Allsopp's writing is both engaged and engaging: the author's profound knowledge of his subject is matched by his evident passion for it." —Alan Cooper, Elaine Ravich Professor of Jewish Studies and Provost, Jewish Theological Seminary

"A few names stand out as seminal figures in the study of biblical Hebrew poetry in the past fifty years—Kugel, Berlin, O'Connor, Alonso-Schökel. With this volume Dobbs-Allsopp joins that elite group. His challenging analysis of biblical poetry as part of the free verse tradition will set scholarship on a new and more productive path." —Carol Newsom, C. H. Candler Professor of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, Emory University

"As a scholar trained in comparative literature who focuses primarily, if not exclusively, on the Hebrew Bible, it has been with some consternation that I have witnessed a general decline in literary study of the Bible. How refreshing, then, to encounter a book that analyzes biblical poetry as poetry."—Biblical Interpretation

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