Legal, historical, prophetic, apocalyptic, ancient biographical, epistolary, wisdom, poetic, dramatic.
The Bible also contains some or all of the following literary forms:
- Allegory: A narrative in which literal meaning corresponds clearly and directly to symbolic meaning. The story of the Garden of Eden is often considered to be an allegory.
- Biography: The nonfictional story of a person's life. The gospels are regarded as biographies.
- Didactic literature: Literature intended to instruct or educate. The Book of Job is an excellent example of didactic literature, as is much of the Book of Proverbs.
- Epic: A lengthy narrative that describes the deeds of a heroic figure of national or cultural importance. The Book of Joshua could be regarded as an epic.
- Fiction: An invented narrative, as opposed to one that reports true events. Biblical scholars regard the Books of Daniel and Esther as works of fiction.
- Historical novel: Scholars designate 2 Maccabees as a historical novel because its author fully intended his audience to understand his fictional narration as based on events that actually occurred and on people who really lived. This book is in the Catholic Old Testament.
- Nonfiction: A narrative work that reports true events.
- Legend: A story about a heroic figure derived from oral tradition and based partly on fact and partly on fiction. The stories of the early judges and Kings Saul, David and Solomon could be regarded as legends.
- Myth: A story about the origins of a culture's beliefs and practices, or of supernatural phenomena, usually derived from oral tradition and set in an imagined supernatural past. Much of the Pentateuch deals with the origins of Hebrew beliefs and practices, set in a supernatural past.
- Parable: A short narrative that illustrates a moral by means of allegory. The gospels are well known for their parables.
- Pastiche: A work that imitates the style of a previous author, work, or literary genre. The pseudo-Pauline epistles, with varying degrees of success, imitate the style of the apostle Paul in order to present as actually having been written by him. This was common practice in ancient times.
Historical narratives - Genesis Exodus Judges Acts etc
Wisdom/poetic writings - Psalms Proverbs etc
Prophecies - Isaiah, Jeremiah Jonah etc
Teaching passages - parts of the Gospels
Parables - parts of the Gospels
Letters - Galatians Ephesians etc