The Postcolonial Biblical Reader

This wide–ranging readerprovides an extensive survey of the interaction between postcolonial criticism and biblical studies. The readings illustrate the relevance of postcolonial criticism to biblical studies. They examine how various past empires such as those of Persia and Rome affected the narratives of the Bible, how different biblical writers handled the challenges of empire, and show how such modern empires as those of Britain, Russia, and America have affected interpretation. Theyalso include illuminating examples of the practical application of postcolonial criticism to biblical texts, and explore major preoccupations of postcolonialism, such as migration, representation, and the politics of translation. The volume will be essential reading for those interested in the contemporary debate surrounding the Bible and critical theory, and for those interested in empire.

List of Contributors. Acknowledgements. Introduction. Part I: Theoretical Practices. Introduction: Theoretical Practices. (R. S. Sugirtharajah). 1. Charting the Aftermath: A Review of Postcolonial Criticism. (R. S. Sugirtharajah). 2. Biblical Criticism and Postcolonial Studies: Toward a Postcolonial Optic. (Fernando F.Segovia). 3. Making the Connections: Postcolonial Studies and Feminist Biblical Interpretation. (Kwok Pui–lan). Part II: Empires Old and New. Introduction: Empires Old and New. 4. Renewal Movements and Resistance to Empire in Ancient Judea. (Richard Horsley). 5. Postcolonialism and Imperial Motives for Canonization. (Jon L Berquist). 6. Roman Imperialism and Early Christian Scribality. (Werner H Kelber). 7. Desiring War: Apocalypse, Commodity Fetish, and the End of History. (Erin Runions). Part III: Empire and Exegesis. Introduction. 8. The Implications of the Text of Esther for African Women′s Struggle for Liberation in South Africa. (Itumeleng J. Mosala). 9. Rahab says Hello to Judith: A Decolonizing Feminist Reading. (Musa Dube). 10. The Sign of Orpah: Reading Ruth through Native Eyes. (Laura Donaldson). 11. On Naming the Subject: Postcolonial Reading of Daniel 1. (Philip Chia). 12. Decolonizing Yahweh: A Postcolonial Reading of 2 Kings 24–25. (Kari Latvus). 13. Mark and Empire: “Zealot” and “Postcolonial Readings”. (Stephen D. Moore). 14. Tyranny, Boundary and Might: Colonial Mimicry in Mark’s Gospel. (Tat–siong Benny Liew). 15. Mori “Jews” and Resistant Reading of John 5.10–47. (Mary Huie–Jolly). 16. God at the Crossroads: A Postcolonial Reading of Sophia. (Mayra Rivera). Part IV: Postcolonial Concerns. Introduction. 17. How Local Divine Powers were Suppressed: A Case of Mwari of Shona. Dora R. Mbuwayesnago. 18. Cutchery Tamil versus Pure Tamil: Contesting Language use in the Translated Bible in early Nineteenth–Century Protestant Tamil Community. (Hephzibah Israel). 19. Canonization and Marginalization. Mary of Magdala. Karen L. King. 20. Exodus toward Egypt: Filipino Americans′ Struggle to Realize the Promised Land in America. Eleazar S. Fernandez. Index of Biblical References. Index of Names and Subjects.

R. S. Sugirtharajah is Professor of Biblical Hermeneutics at the University of Birmingham. Prior to his current appointment, he was Senior Lecturer in Third World Theologies at Selly Oak Colleges, Birmingham. His previous publications include Postcolonial Reconfigurations (2003), Postcolonial Criticism and Biblical Interpretation (2002), The Bible and the Third World (2001), and The Bible and Empire: Postcolonial Explorations (2005).

"This book, edited by one of the foremost proponents of postcolonial biblical criticism, will provide a useful entrée into this important area of study and a representative and wide–ranging selection of essays with which to engage." ( Journal for the Study of the New Testament )