To: Hebrew List <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Subject: Nathan's Parable
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999 18:31:58 -0400
Today my first-year Hebrew class read 2 Samuel 12. They loved it.
One student asked an interesting question: Why did David react so
passionately to a narrative that was obviously a parable?
I replied that the Hebrew text contains no indications that Nathan's
story was a parable. Nathan's story begins just like 1 Samuel 1, which
is not called a parable.
My question to this list is: Can you think of any biblical narratives
that are presented as fiction? How can we determine a factual narrative
from a fictional narrative?
--
Lee R. Martin
Pastor, Prospect Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee
Instructor in Hebrew and Old Testament
Church of God Theological Seminary http://earth.vol.com/~lmartin/