The Blackwell Companion to the Bible and Culture

The Blackwell Companion to the Bible and Culture offers readers a stimulating, one–volume reference source about twenty–first century approaches to the Bible. Drawing on interdisciplinary and international examples, the volume explores how the Bible has impacted on all the major social contexts where it has been influential – ancient, medieval and modern, world–wide. The Companion consists of 30 articles written by distinguished specialists, accompanied by comprehensive bibliographies. Taken together, these articles emphasize the multi–faceted nature of the Bible and its impact on the world. They help to bridge the gap between specialist biblical studies and other disciplines such as literature, art, music, history, theology, religious studies, politics and psychology.

Notes on Contributors viii List of Figures xiii Preface to the Paperback Edition xv Introduction 1 John F. A. Sawyer Part I Revealing the Past 9 1 The Ancient World 11 Philip R. Davies 2 The Patristic Period 28 Kate Cooper 3 The Middle Ages 39 Mary Dove 4 The Renaissance 54 Ilona N. Rashkow 5 The Reformation 69 Peter Matheson 6 The Counter–Reformation 85 Euan Cameron 7 The Modern World 104 John W. Rogerson Part II The Nomadic Text 117 8 Judaism 119 Edward Kessler 9 Islam 135 Stephen N. Lambden 10 Asia 158 Choan–Seng Song 11 Africa 176 Jonathan A. Draper 12 North America 198 Scott M. Langston 13 Latin America 217 Erhard S. Gerstenberger 14 Australasia 232 Roland Boer and Ibrahim Abraham Part III The Bible and the Senses 251 15 Literature 253 Jo Carruthers 16 Film 268 Alice Bach 17 Music 286 John W. Rogerson 18 Art 299 Heidi J. Hornik and Mikeal C. Parsons 19 Architecture 323 Andrew Ballantyne 20 The Theatre 338 Meg Twycross 21 The Circus 365 Burke O. Long 22 The Body 381 Gerard Loughlin Part IV Reading in Practice 397 23 Contextuality 399 Gerald West 24 Politics 414 Tim Gorringe 25 Ecology 432 Anne Primavesi 26 Psychology 447 Ilona N. Rashkow 27 Gender 464 Deborah F. Sawyer 28 Nationalism 480 Jo Carruthers 29 Post–colonialism 497 Sharon A. Bong 30 Postmodernism 515 Andrew Tate Index of Biblical References 534 General Index 546

John F. A. Sawyer is Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies at Newcastle University and of Biblical and Jewish Studies at Lancaster. Among his many publications are  Sacred Texts and Sacred Meanings (2011), A Concise Dictionary of the Bible and its Reception  (2009), and The Fifth Gospel. Isaiah in the History of Christianity (1996) . He is co–editor of the Concise Encyclopedia of Language and Religion (with J. M. Y. Simpson, 2001), and series editor (with Christopher Rowland, Judith Kovacs and David Gunn) of the reception–history–based Blackwell Bible Commentary Series.

"Perusing this well–edited, fully indexed Companion is an exhilarating experience that is likely to lead readers to offer a sincere, if breathless, thanks to all involved in its creation." (Choice) "An intriguing and highly engaging set of articles which demonstrate clearly how much of the world′s culture has been, and is, permeated with biblical imagery, ideas and influences." (Journal for the Study of the New Testament) This volume is a delight, full of interest and surprises. It contains a wealth of fine scholarship made readable and the book is highly recommended … Immensely varied, accessible, and fascinating." ( Journal of Contemporary Religion ) "A sweeping and magnanimous overview … admirably achieves its goal with wit, aplomb, and a disciplinary breadth that is all too rare in biblical studies today … A welcome addition to the growing corpus of literature on the important relationship(s) between the Bible and culture." ( Review of Biblical Literature ) "A unique manual that demonstrates that biblical studies are no longer done exclusively in departments of theology." ( International Review of Biblical Studies )