Rediscovering the Orality of the Bible

“The Bible is not a book,” said Dr. Tom Boogaart.  

I remember how stunned I was when I heard him say that. “How can that be true?” I wondered. The Bible holds the Guinness World Record for the best-selling book of all time. Of course it’s a book. It’s printed, bound, and I can hold it in my hand. It’s supposed to be read like a book. Isn’t it? 

Well, yes. But Tom was saying that the Bible is more. First of all, it’s not one book; it’s a collection of books. And each one of those books is a collection of genres that include songs, poems, sermons, stories, and even plays. What are those genres asking of us? They certainly want to be read, but those genres also ask to be sung, chanted, preached,  told, and enacted. Huge swaths of the Bible long to be memorized and presented with full-bodied communication to a gathered and participative audience. In other words, the Bible is begging to be performed.  

The Bible wants not only to be read,  but to be seen, heard, and felt. 

I’m a theater artist focused on directing and playwriting. I’ve partnered with Dr. Boogaart, Professor Emeritus of Old Testament for the past twenty years in reclaiming the performance of the ancient Hebrew dramas—the historical narratives of the Old Testament. Tom and I have come to understand that Israel’s histories are presented with dialogue, dramatic structure, and profound images that reveal their themes. We have led our students in performing dozens of these ancient plays including the dramas of Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and Esau, Joseph, David, Jonah, and more. Our book Performing the Plays of the Bible  is designed to help others join us. 

Other organizations like the Network of Biblical Storytellers and the Orality Network are exploring what we can learn about biblical texts by retracing our steps to the oral cultures out of which those texts grew. WTS has been at the forefront of this work through its methods of teaching Hebrew via performance. An additional facet of this scholarship has been Dr. Tim Brown’s project of teaching homiletics through scripture memory (or interiorization).  

Eugene Peterson’s writing and thinking comes alongside scholars who are asking, “How does the Bible want to communicate to us today?” Part of the answer is found in language itself, and part of the answer is found in the ancient world and the ways those people brought God’s Word to life through sight, sound, and heart.  

In the fall of 2022, my co-teacher, Karen Bohm Barker, and I began the cohort journey with a group of doctoral students who, although they didn’t necessarily have performance training, wanted to study the Bible together. Our goal, of course, has been to learn more about God’s Word, but ultimately that’s a pathway to learning more about God. Guided by the Spirit and energized by the joy of learning in community, we aim to equip one another to lead the next generation of Christ-followers in discovering that the Bible is far more than just a book. Visit here to watch a performance of the cohort members performing the Bible.