Hermeneutical Principle Number Two: Literary Genre. Literary genre refers simply to the type of literature. For example, in the Bible, there are many different literary genres, like poetry, narrative, parable, allegory, history, letters, proverbs, laws, sermons, hymns, prophecies, etc. Though the Bible is between two covers, it's important to emphasize that the Bible is like an anthology. It has roughly 50 authors and was written over roughly 1500 years. With this being the case, we should expect many different types of literature. Consequently, we will need to apply different hermeneutical principles to understand each of these different pieces of literature. Let's return to this passage by Jesus, dealing with lust and tearing out eyeballs. It's found in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5 verses 21 to 43. And we need to ask the question, what type of literature is this? This literary unit, Matthew 5, has similar passages where Jesus says in verse 30, "If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away." Are churches filled with handless Christians? Jesus also states in verse 38, "Do not resist the evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn him the other." Is this verse against protecting ourselves? Here are some features of this type of literature in Matthew 5. Clearly, there's hyperbole and it uses exaggeration. Therefore, do not interpret these passages literally. This literature is also dialectical. This term comes from the Greek, "dia" meaning between, and "lego" is the verb to talk. Dialectical literature continually talks to us and challenges us. For example, Jesus telling us to cut off our hands if we sin, is a very effective literary technique that certainly challenges us regarding our behavior. And as a Christian I would add, that God's Spirit works through these hyperboles to speak directly to us. To conclude, literary genre dictates interpretation, and I want to emphasize the word dictates. If we make a mistake in identifying the literary genre of a passage, we will also make a mistake in interpreting the passage. Therefore, the identification of the literary genre is one of the first and most important decisions in hermeneutics. The challenge for us today is to identify ancient literary genres, and some of these will seem unusual because we don't use them today. With regards to Genesis 1-11, here is one of the toughest questions that theologians face. What is the literary genre of Genesis 1-11? For example, take the Garden of Eden account in Genesis 3. There is a fast-talking snake, and there are mystical trees. One imparts eternal life, and the other imparts knowledge of good and evil. What is the literary genre of Genesis 3? Is it history? Is it allegory? Or is Genesis 3 nothing but a fairy tale? End of episode.