How does the Bible relate to itself in its own system of cross-referencing? Now that is a BIG topic! Biblical writers frequently refer to other biblical books in a wide variety of ways: direct quote, subtle citation, allusion, or ‘echo’ or ‘reminiscence’. How allusions work in literature and biblical literature especially have not been well understood until recently. This talk will engage some of the latest theoretical work on understanding how allusions function. The first part of this talk will cover how one can develop ‘allusion competence’ when reading biblical narratives. The second part of the talk will illustrate through specific biblical examples how the archeology of allusion hunting can result in a richer understanding of biblical narratives from both Old Testament and New Testament.
Allusion: The Interaction Among God’s Stories
