Genre and Rewritten Scripture: A Reassessment

Rewriting and the Gospels

“…Beyond the compositional features of rewritten scripture, Matthew also corresponds suggestively to previously theorized generic categories (e.g., Alexander 1988; Zahn 2012). But, while Matthew’s adoption of the form of Mark is an important part of his compositional strategy, this choice of genre is not something that Matthew was constrained to choose because the evangelist thought that he was relating to Mark via the formal genre of ‘rewritten scripture’.…”

“…Recently, the question of genre has received a more nuanced analysis by Molly Zahn (2012), who points to three features that characterize rewritten scripture. First, scribes who produced these works perceived their compositions as ‘ doing something different from scribes who produce[d] expanded copies of biblical books, even though both sometimes use[d] similar techniques of revision and rewriting’ (2012: 282). Second, rewritten scripture is an interpretive endeavour.…”

“…Not all interpretive texts are rewritten, but all rewritten works are interpretive. Third, the authors of rewritten scripture intended their works to be conceived of as the same ‘ kind of text as the text that formed the basis of the rewriting’ (2012: 284). Zahn’s approach helps to define rewritten scripture as a phenomenon distinct from, but integrally related to, other works that retain interpretive elements, while at the same time acknowledging the diachronic flexibility of genres.…”

Comical moments and comical characterisations in Tobit: The undermining of self-righteous piety, simplistic retribution, and limited Yahwism

“…As Zahn suggests texts participate in genres ‘dipping into them, employing their elements in modified fashion, combining them…. texts can participate in multiple genres simultaneously’ (Zahn 2012: 277). Similarly, Newsom argues, ‘[t]exts do not ‘belong’ to genres, so much as participate in them, invoke them, gesture to them … and in doing so continually change them’ (Newsom 2003: 12).…”