2.12 - Fables, Riddles and Enigmas
January 18, 2005 | Comments: 3Biblical Hermeneutics Part Second Chapter 12
In this chapter, the author proceeds from the more common figures of speech to those which are more peculiar, viz. fables, riddles, enigmas, et al. It is necessary to be conversant with the common tropes first, since they often correspond to the more specialized figures of speech, e.g. the parable is an extended and developed simile, and the allegory is an extended and developed metaphor.
Fables are stories in which beasts and/or inanimate objects are invested with reason and speech, and act contrary to their nature. Fables present some earthly moral or wisdom which is clear and which presents no interpretive problems. Terry states that there are only two proper fables in Scripture: Judges 9.7-20 and 2 Kings 14.9.
Riddles differ from fables in that while the meaning of the latter is manifest, in the former the intent is to puzzle and perplex the hearer. The obscurity of a riddle is intended to stimulate perception and thought, prompting the hearer to probe deeper into hidden meanings. Examples cited included Samson’s riddle of the honey in the lion and the number of the Beast in the Revelation.
Enigmas are to be distinguished from riddles insofar as riddles normally deal with human ingenuity and shrewdness, whereas enigmas are those mysterious sayings, which conceal and enhance things high and holy. Such would include our Lord’s words to Nicodemus concerning new birth, to the Samaritan woman concerning Living Water, and to the disciples on the same occasion concerning His food to eat.
Comments
Concerning fables: Your text lists two fables presented as such. How do we know that the following are NOT fables presented in the narrative? The serpent tempting Eve; The Egyptian Plagues; Balaam’s talking ass.
nathan on February 09, 2005 at 07:16 AM
In both of the cases cited by Terry, the teller of the tale is speaking within the narrative, the tale itself is manifestly his imaginative creation, and the simple moral of the tale is evident. True to the nature of fables, there is a conspicuous element of unreality about the tales themselves.
This is not the case in the three instances you mention, where the stories are recounted as narrative, not as someone telling a story within the narrative. Notably absent in these texts is any internal inference that they are mere fanciful fabrications intended only to convey a moral lesson.
andrew on February 09, 2005 at 10:26 PM
excellent. nathan.
nathan on February 15, 2005 at 05:40 PM
