Biblical scholarship has until recently paid little attention to the field of literary criticism. Conservative exegetes have, not without reason, feared that the use of literary criticism might lead to a downplaying or even the denial of the historical worth of Scripture. Indeed, there are dangers in emphasizing the literary aspects of the Bible at the expense of its historical content. But it is equally hazardous to minimize or ignore the Bible's literary nature. The Bible as literature or history is a false dichotomy. It is both and much more.