The Bible is the precipitate, the distillate, the sediment, the fallout, the log of this passionate, personal, political and social investment by God of himself in his creation. More than merely signs, language, literature, more than even messages sent by authors to readers, more even than revelations of unchanging, abstract doctrinal truths (it is all of those to be sure!), the Bible is the meshing point, the integrative intersection at which all of God's actions to take back his world flow together and find expression. The word became flesh; but it then became…text…texts. So yes, it's divine revelation. But it's also intransigently human authors talking to readers, some known to them, but like most authors, most readers unknown and far in the future. It's definitely literature, but not all of it. Some of it is deadly dull, boring lists and reports—about as literary as a Form 1040…about as spiritually compelling as a survey platt [sic] or an autopsy report. And surely it's language, that most characteristically human capability so laced with intimations of the divine. But all this coheres, co-inheres, as a living, vital organism of truth in which events, persons, places literary forms, linguistic features, ancient politics and eternal realities all dance around each other, within each other, and invite us, as the voice said to Augustine, Tolle lege! "Take, read!"
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I couldn't have put it better myself. Definitely read the whole post; it is well worth your time. His summary of current biblical scholarship is sadly accurate. But, as he found out, it doesn't have to sap the life out of you; God is bigger than we ever imagined!
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