Viewing Biblical Narratives through a Literary Lens: Practicing Narrative Analysis on Matthew 16: 16–20

Abstract

In this essay, following a brief look at the history of narrative theology the theological context of narrative analysis, I intend to teach Christian educators, including laypersons, how to use several of the major concepts of narrative analysis in their study of the Bible. In this article I apply those concepts to a disputed text, Matthew 16:16–20. I then assess the principles of narrative analysis by comparing how Matthew and Mark use the same narrative sources in the writing of their gospels. Finally, I offer an opportunity to practice narrative analysis with a passage from the Gospel of John.