See me! Hear me! : divine/human relational dialogue in Genesis
Abstract
"The aim of this thesis is to examine instances of relational dialogue between the Deity
and human individuals in the book of Genesis by separating the conversations from the narrative
through lines that most often inform biblical analysis. Instead of watching a movie complete
with music, chase sequences and explosions I am interested in those snapshots of character
developed in what is called a two-shot – when everything else is pushed to the background and
face to face dialogue takes center stage. Through this line of inquiry, I will develop a model of
Divine/human dialogue that will then inform a model of the Divine/human relationship...
From the methodology and definitions of chapter 1 we have determined how to study
Divine/human relational dialogue and the elements to be considered within the conversations of
Genesis. Before an examination of these elements can be conducted, however, we must first
justify the circumstances surrounding these conversations, extricate them from the adjacent
narratives and then identify their narrative structure. For this purpose chapter 2 of this thesis will look at the situation of each dialogue in light of the following criteria. First will be the
dialogue’s setting within literature; where the conversation falls within the structure of the book
as a whole. Following this will be observations of the dialogue’s setting within the narrative;
what comes immediately before and after the conversation. There will be a thorough discussion
of the scholarly parameters of the narrative containing the dialogue along with an explanation of
any differing determinations that might be made. Finally, each section will include a translation
of the passage under discussion and a skeletal structure separating narrative from dialogue.
After dislodging the dialogue passage from its surrounding narrative, chapter 3 will
employ three major elements to analyze the essence of the dialogue. First to be examined is the
initiation of dialogue; who is the initiator and the form, if any, the verbal initiation takes. Second
is the use of a proper name within the conversation. This discussion includes analysis of the
name, its meaning and use. Another focus of this inquiry is to identify any bearing the name
might have on the dialogue or the Divine/human relationship. The final investigation, titled
Dialogue Analysis, will be an examination of adjacent pairs and turn taking as set within the
dialogue. Using the tools of conversation analysis we will determine the structure, emphasis and
character of the Divine/human relationship. This section will also include comments on
traditional thematic analysis.
In chapter 4 the conclusions reached in chapters 2 and 3 will be brought together with the
goal of identifying a Divine/human relational dialogue model that can then be applied to future
study of scriptural passages beyond Genesis." -- from the Introduction
Type
Thesis, PhD Doctor of Philosophy
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