Intertextuality

Intertextuality describes the ways in which biblical texts refer to or interact with other biblical texts or sources. There are three nuances of intertextuality that are commonly recognized and have a specific meaning:

• Quotations
  • Direct citations of a biblical text within another biblical text
  • Usually involve the explicit mention of the source text and are often marked by introductory phrases such as "it is written" or "as it is said"
  • Serve various purposes such as emphasizing a point, connecting two texts or ideas, or providing scriptural support for an argument (appeal to authority)
• Allusions
  • Indirect or subtle references to another biblical text
  • May involve a keyword, phrase, or theme from the source text, but the meaning  depends on the reader's familiarity with the original context (require more interpretative work)
  • Can function to enrich the meaning of a text, create connections between different passages or stories, or emphasize a theological point
• Echoes
  • The faintest and most elusive of these three forms
  • Involve the use of similar language, images, or themes from one biblical text in another, but without a clear or direct connection between the two
  • Can be difficult to identify, as they may be unintentional or coincidental
  • When echoes are intentional, they can serve to create a sense of continuity or resonance between different parts of the biblical canon, or to evoke certain emotions, ideas, or themes from the source text