Genre Analysis in Christian Documents Malak Aboelsaoud
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Genre Analysis in Christian Documents
Malak Aboelsaoud
Writer’s Statement
Malak Aboelsaoud is from the city of Cairo, Egypt. She is currently enrolled in an art and
art history specialist program in hopes of pursuing a career in design. Malak enjoys outdoor
sports and activities especially extreme sports. She spends a lot of her time doing Muay Thai
training aiming to enter the ring and gain real fighting experience someday.
Malak often overthinks certain aspects of her writing. Especially with this assignment
considering she faced the challenge of writing about a topic she wasn’t familiar with. This
required a lot of research to make sure all the information was correct. She also found it
difficult to organize her ideas. However, With the help of her ISP100 instructor, professor Chris
Eaton and professor Jordana Garbati, she received the feedback and support she needed to get
past any issues.
Going into the ISP100 course, writing was a challenge she often struggled with.
Considering her major requires a lot of writing, she knew she had to tackle this issue somehow.
ISP100 greatly helped improve her writing skills. She learned how to read and understand
criticism on papers and essays and that criticism doesn’t mean that the writing is bad. Instead it
shows how there is always more than one way to approach a subject and develop ideas to
improve a person’s writing skills. Through the course, she started noticing that not only did it
become easier to write for ISP100 and her other classes, but she was achieving higher marks on
them too. She believes its necessary to understand that there is no such thing as a bad writer
and that one should not think that of themselves if they get unexpected feedback. There is
always a way to improve as the first try won’t be perfect.
97Writing for University and Beyond:
A Journal of First Year Writing at UTM Volume 1, 2021
Genre Analysis in Christian Documents
Malak Aboelsaoud
Imagine going to watch a play or a theatre production that does not have a planned
script, choreography, or stage instructions. Likely, the result will be a chaotic and unorganized
mess of actors and dancers running around aimlessly. Now apply this to the communities you
are part of and engage with in your everyday life. Imagine if they functioned solely on spoken
ideas or one-time exchanges between its members. This community may be brittle and divided
since the ideas are not documented. Without the proper “script” available, communities would
fall apart. This “script” is a key component in the genres of a community. Take the Christian
community’s most relevant document, the Bible. In this paper, I will demonstrate how the Bible
aids the members of the community in achieving their ultimate goals. I will discuss how the
Bible succeeds in achieving social solidarity and stability within the community. To accomplish
this, I will consider multiple versions of the Bible, to explore whether all the version acts as one
genre or if their differences creates an opportunity for each version to be its own genre.
There is often a lack of realization about how genres affect our daily lives and promote
our involvement in a community. Due to their integration in a community’s elements, their
importance is overlooked. It is often easy to forget what these genres offer communities and
why we need them. In the words of Devitt (2004) “the genres that develop from a group’s
interactions, then, reciprocally, reinforce the group’s identity and nature by operating
collectively rather than individually” (p. 36). This can be directly reflected in the case of the
Bible, which acts as a kind of instruction manual or a guideline for the foundations, rules,
beliefs, and values that the people in the Christian community share and follow. It is a map that
guides the members around life experiences, and more importantly, it is the face and identity
of the community. The Bible presents a series of stories, prayers, and many varying aspects of
history, all combined for the sole purpose of teaching its followers the lessons that the Christian
God wants them to learn.
It is essential to note that there are many versions and variations of the Bible. While
evaluating these versions would take me more time than is at my disposal, each one is adjusted
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in a way that allows it to achieve something that is not highlighted or evident in different
versions to appeal to the Christian community as it changes over time. While not being the only
way the text changes, I will specifically be focusing on how the different ways of writing and
“Englishes” will enable the reader to understand more about how efficiently the document
communicates its teachings and messages to the people.
A study conducted by Anis Bawarshi about trans-lingual perspective in the study of the
genre demonstrates how language use can affect and change the meaning of the text. Bawarshi
(2016) suggests that “because it is subject to translation/transformation across temporal,
spatial, and material boundaries, what occurs is never the same; and this is where a trans-
lingual approach to genre becomes intriguing” (p. 245). Essentially, he is referring to how the
genre's meaning changes depending on certain factors such as space and time when spoken.
Although, his focus is directed at how differently the genre is deciphered by speakers of
different languages, the same idea applies to the Bible. However, instead of focusing on
different languages, the focus shifts to different “Englishes” for each of the versions and how
this results in a unique decipherment for the readers.
Through researching the different versions of the Bible, Petersen (2016) points to the
King James version to be one of the most challenging to read and understand. He ranked all the
versions of the Bible based on reading levels. The King James version was ranked at a 12+ which
is the most advanced reading level. This is due to the antiquity of its writing, which we often
associate with a very old time in history. As a result, there are many words and phrases that are
no longer used today, and people struggle to make sense of them. Despite the King James
version being preferred and widely respected by some people for its uniqueness and
preservation of tradition, this version may not be the most efficient variation of the genre in
achieving its purpose of passing on the teachings and properly communicating with the people.
To elaborate, the following is an example of the style of writing “He that rebukeths a wicked
man getteth himself a blot (Prov 9:7b).” Many people today would need a translation of this
text to make sense of it. In general, not everyone in the community will have access to a
translation for the whole text and as a result, will not be able to learn and understand the
teachings. Additionally, the difficulty of the text can result in misinterpretation of the teachings
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and a change in the original meaning. Simply put, when a person does not understand
something, they will not be able to relate to or benefit from it.
On the other hand, one of the more popular variations of the Bible, at least among the
newer generations, is the New International Version. This is because the New International
Version is one of the more “modernized” versions where the original writing has been
translated to appeal to a larger group from the community. This version includes commonly
used words today as opposed to those used in the past. Take the same verse from the previous
example, In the New International version it is written like this: “Whoever corrects a mocker
invites insults; whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse” (Prov 9:7b) The reader is able to
understand the idea around this statement without having to look up a translation for the
foreign words. Not only does this make the genre easier to understand, but its modernity
makes it easier to relate to. It allows more members of all ages of the discourse community to
be able to engage in discussion, communicate, and exchange ideas with one another since the
style of writing is accessible to all. This is achieved while maintaining the meaning, values, and
purpose of the original text.
In relation to the style of writing, it is an interesting thought to observe the relation
between the genre and how it succeeds in increasing the levels of social solidarity within a
community. According to a study by Durkheim (1951), “the greater the degree to which a
group’s members share beliefs and values, and the more frequently and intensely they interact,
the more social solidarity exists in the group” (p. 9). This could also be connected to the genre
and its effects on the community. Essentially, he is saying that the more connections a person
creates through being a part of a community and sharing the same values and beliefs as others,
the more personal and social stability a person feels. In this case, the Bible, allows people to
communicate with each other more frequently and efficiently which acts as another way the
style of writing achieves its purpose in connecting a community. The fact that there are multiple
variations of the text means that members of the community can pick the ones that best suit
their reading needs. As a result, they will have a greater understanding of the text and be able
to communicate their thoughts about the Bible and better interact with other members of the
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community. Therefore, the outcome becomes a stronger community with a greater sense of
social solidarity.
While the community has multiple versions to pick from depending on their needs, a
question arises: should the King James version and the New International version be labelled as
one genre or not? The King James version and the New International version do not differ much
in their meanings, of which supports the idea that perhaps they should be considered as one
genre. However, genre is often identified by its social need and target audience, which in this
case is not the same for the two versions. Miller (2014) states that “another major difference
among disciplines is the kind of category genre is taken to be. Does it belong to the
researcher/critic or does it belong to the community of users…we may call these the analytical
and the empirical approaches to genre” (p. 66). The King James version would fall under the
theoretical category. It delivers its messages through a more formal and theoretical manner. On
the other hand, the New International Version is more detailed and dynamic providing more of
an explanation of its components to the readers. The different versions, appeal to different
types of individuals that fall under the Christian community, in terms of their interests,
education, dedication, and the goals that drive them towards reading or knowing the Bible.
Although the King James version and the New International version are very different
documents when considering Miller’s system, they cannot necessarily be considered as
different genres. In other words, the King James and the New International version serve
different groups of individuals within the Christian community but does not separate them
from the Christian community as a whole since the beliefs and interests remain common
between them. Hence, the King James version and the New international version fall under that
same genre, of which unites one single community.
It would not be fair or accurate to assume that one version is better than the other. The
King James version, the New International version and many others not mentioned, serve their
specific purposes while having their own unique set of audiences. The variations of the genre
however teach those inside and outside the community the significance and complexity of
genres in a community. It also gets the reader thinking about how much work and thought goes
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into each genre to make it the best possible fit for the members of the community and sculpt it
around their needs without excluding anyone.
References
Bawarshi, A. (2016). Beyond the genre fixation: A translingual perspective on genre.
College English, 78(3), 243-249.
Bible Hub. (2004). Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://biblehub.com/proverbs/9-7.htm
Brym, R. J., Lie, J. (2015). SOC+ (Third ed., pp. 9-10). Toronto: Nelson Education
Devitt, A. J. (2004). Writing genres. Carbondale: Southern Illinois Univ. Press.
Miller, C.R. (2014). Genre as social action (1984), revisited 30 years later (2014). Letras & Letras,
31(3), 65–67.
“Translation Reading Levels.” Bible Translation Reading Levels - Christianbook.com. Retrieved
from www.christianbook.com/page/bibles/about-bibles/bible-translation-reading-levels
What Are the Reading Levels of the Bibles on Bible Gateway? 9 May 2019,
https://support.biblegateway.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001403747-What-are-the-
reading-levels-of-the-Bibles-on-Bible-Gateway
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