The Bible as Oratorio

Here is another interesting quote, this time by Kevin Vanhoozer in The Drama of Doctrine :

The canonical presentation of the gospel takes several forms, most notably kerygma (proclamation), marturia (witness), and didaskalia (teaching). These three forms comprise a canonical oratorio: the first, kerygma, serves as a recitative of God’s saving work; the second, as the chorus that gives the participants’ perspective on the action; and the third, as a profound aria that deepens our appreciation of the drama’s highlights. (p. 147)

Thus the “canon … shows us how to go on following Jesus Christ primarily by telling, showing, and teaching us who he is and what he has done.” (p. 149) In addition to reflecting on how the Bible incorporates those three elements, it is intriguing to think about how the church has performed those same functions in a corporate setting by creeds/doctrinal statements (proclamation/telling), singing (witness/showing), and preaching (teaching). To the second point, in addition to singing, we could add the idea of living out the gospel in our daily lives, or to use Elizabethan terminology that fits very well in this context, our conversation.