Circles in the Stream: Index, Identification, and Intertext: Reading and Preaching the Story of Judah in Genesis 37-50

Koptak, Paul E.

ISBN 10: 1666735329 / ISBN 13: 9781666735321

Published by Wipf and Stock, 2022

About this Item

Seller Inventory # ABLIING23Mar2811580318785

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Circles in the Stream: Index, Identification, and Intertext: Reading and Preaching the Story of Judah in Genesis 37-50
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Publication Date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1666735329
• ISBN 13: 9781666735321
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Maybe we should read Genesis 37–50 as the story of Joseph and Judah. Both kept their families alive and received major blessings from their father Jacob. Like his brother Joseph, Judah knew how to use words to lead and persuade, primarily by appealing to common experience. His speeches model Kenneth Burke’s rhetoric of identification, “inducing cooperation” by showing his listeners how they are consubstantial—that is, where they stand together.
Preachers hope to do the same, making gospel connections between ancient texts and life today. Circles in the Stream shows that the connections are there in the Scripture text, freeing preachers from the pressure to find contemporary illustrations. Adapting Burke’s literary-rhetorical approach to reading, Paul Koptak offers ever-widening circles of reading to that end. Indexing a passage and looking for identification there lead to the transformative purpose and life issue. Intertextual study, a combination of both, discovers these connections in the wider two-testament canon.
Circles in the Stream offers both a distinct perspective for reading Scripture and practical steps for in-depth study. Its method can make sermon preparation more efficient and effective. More importantly, it leads to the life-issues that listeners want their preachers to address.

About the Authors

Paul E. Koptak is professor emeritus of communication and biblical interpretation at North Park Theological Seminary. He is the author of The NIV Application Commentary: Proverbs.



Rebekah Eklund teaches Scripture, theology, and ethics at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore. She is the author of Jesus Wept: The Significance of Jesus' Laments in the New Testament (2015).