A literary genre; a subgenre of the hero story.
It is a long narrative of national destiny built around a central epic feat performed by the epic hero - usually one that involves military conquest. Common motifs include war, fare, conquest, dominion, and kingdom. Supernatural settings, characters, and events are a hallmark of epic.
(The Origin of the Bible: Newly Updated by F. F. Bruce, J. I. Packer, Philip W. Comfort, and Carl F. H. Henry, 2020. The Bible as Literature by Leland Ryken, Page 132)
Epics of the Bible
The epic of Exodus spans the entire narrative portion of Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy and is built around the epic feat of the Exodus from the land of slavery to the Promised Land. It narrates a decisive moment in national history and is a definitive repository of the religious, moral, and political ideals of the society that produced it.
The Old Testament historical chronicles resemble epics. They have a national scope and follow the familiar epic motifs of battle, conquest, and dominion. Their heroes are public figures. The covenant's continuous presence lends these stories the epic quality of national and racial destiny that elevates them above hero stories.
The Gospels possess the world-changing atmosphere of epics with their expansive and momentous mood.
Acts focuses on Paul's journeys and quests, recounting bigger-than-life events and the epoch-making story of the early church's expansion over vast geographic stretches.
Revelation is a spiritualized version of virtually every epic motif and stylistic trait.
(The Origin of the Bible: Newly Updated by F. F. Bruce, J. I. Packer, Philip W. Comfort, and Carl F. H. Henry, 2020. The Bible as Literature by Leland Ryken, Page 132-133)