Does Ancient Hebrew Poetry Have Meter?
The study addresses the much-debated question of whether Hebrew poetic composition is characterized by meter. I examine the question in the light of ancient Greco-Roman literary theory and its reflections on Greek and Latin periodic prose. Greco-Roman theorists chart a spectrum of poetic composition...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Scholar's Press
2021
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In: |
Journal of Biblical literature
Year: 2021, Volume: 140, Issue: 3, Pages: 503-529 |
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Literature
/ Satzmelodie
/ Bible. Micha 3,9-12
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IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament HD Early Judaism |
Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Summary: | The study addresses the much-debated question of whether Hebrew poetic composition is characterized by meter. I examine the question in the light of ancient Greco-Roman literary theory and its reflections on Greek and Latin periodic prose. Greco-Roman theorists chart a spectrum of poetic composition, with ordinary prose on one end, metered poetry on the other, and poetic or "periodic" prose occupying a middle ground between the two. I show that (a) Hebrew poetic composition is characterized by the same formal devices as Greco-Roman periodic prose; (b) these devices structure Hebrew poetry into the same periodic literary form seen in Greco-Roman periodic prose; and (c) this form produces the same rhythmic effect as in Greco-Roman periodic prose, one that is natural, not intentionally summoned, and of comparative irregularity. Micah 3:9-12, Wilfred G. E. Watson's alleged "good illustration" of "regular metrical pattern," is examined as a case in point. |
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ISSN: | 1934-3876 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of Biblical literature
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1353/jbl.2021.0024 |