Narrating the Divine: Exploring Biblical Hebrew Poetry and Narratives

Dear Esteemed Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce a Special Issue of Religions dedicated to the scholarly inquiry into "Narrating the Divine: Exploring Biblical Hebrew Poetry and Narratives". This call for papers invites contributions that engage in a comprehensive examination of biblical narratives and poetry, employing a rigorous academic lens to unravel the intricacies of language, structure, and divine storytelling within the biblical tradition. Areas may include, but are not limited to, the followings:

Key Focus Areas:

Biblical Narratives

1. Close-reading of Specific Passages in Biblical Narratives: Submissions should adopt a methodologically rigorous approach to conduct close readings of selected passages in biblical narratives. The aim is to unearth latent meanings and contribute nuanced interpretations to the broader discourse surrounding divine narratives.
2. Narratives in Biblical Law & Law in Biblical Narratives: Scholars are encouraged to contribute research focusing on narratives within Mosaic Law. This includes an examination of the narrative elements embedded in legal contexts, providing insights into the intertwining of divine narrative and legal prescription.
3. New Narratological Techniques in the Hebrew Bible: Submissions exploring innovative narratological techniques employed in the Hebrew Bible are invited. This entails an examination of narrative structures, techniques, and strategies that contribute to a deeper understanding of how the divine is articulated through storytelling.
4. Narratives in Job and Wisdom Literature: This Special Issue seeks contributions that specifically address narratives within Job and Wisdom Literature. Scholars are invited to explore how these texts employ narrative forms to convey profound theological and philosophical insights, unraveling the divine within the fabric of wisdom literature.
5. Narratives in Historical Literature: We invite submissions focused on narratives within Historical Literature, exploring the ways in which historical events are narrated in the Hebrew Bible. Contributions should engage with the narrative techniques employed in recounting historical episodes and their significance in conveying divine narratives.

Biblical Poetry

1. Close-reading of Specific Passages in Biblical Poetry: Papers investigating the close-reading of biblical poetry are strongly encouraged. Scholars are invited to scrutinize the poetic elements within the Hebrew Bible, examining how these contribute to the nuanced articulation of divine narratives through poetic expressions.
2. New Discussions on Poetic Meter and Parallelism in Biblical Poetry: Scholars are invited to offer original insights into the poetic meter and parallelism employed in biblical poetry. This necessitates a meticulous examination of rhythmic patterns, structural elements, and an exploration of how meter influences the interpretative landscape of poetry.
3. Poetic Language and Structure of Biblical Poetry: This Special Issue welcomes papers that engage in a detailed analysis of the poetic language and overarching structure of biblical poetry.
4. Poetry in the Three Books and Prophetic Literature: Submissions are encouraged to explore the role of poetry within the Three Books and Prophetic Literature. This includes nuanced investigations into how poetic expression contributes to the multifaceted dimensions of these canonical texts.
5. Dating Issues of Archaic, Standard, and Late Biblical Hebrew Poetry: Scholars are invited to contribute research on the temporal categorization of archaic, standard, and late biblical Hebrew poetry. This entails a meticulous examination of linguistic and stylistic nuances, providing substantive insights into the evolutionary trajectory of poetic expression in biblical texts.

All submitted manuscripts will undergo a rigorous peer-review process to ensure the highest standards of scholarly merit and contribution to the field. Authors are encouraged to submit abstracts (maximum 200 words) and brief biographies to Dr. Sung Jin Park ([email protected]) by April 15, 2024. Selected contributors will be invited to submit full papers for double-blind peer review.

For any inquiries or additional information, please contact Dr. Sung Jin Park at [email protected] or Joyce Xi at [email protected].

We eagerly anticipate the submission of your scholarly work and subsequent engagement in this scholarly exploration of "Narrating the Divine." We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Sincerely,

Dr. Sung Jin Park
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• biblical narratives
• biblical poetry
• biblical law
• wisdom literature
• prophetic literature
• the Book of Job
• divine narratives