Blackwell Companion to the Bible and Culture

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.

“As most of the contributors are not trained primarily as biblical scholars, the fresh perspective they bring will benefit specialists and non-specialists alike.”  (Religious Studies Review, 1 September 2014)“WithThe Blackwell Companion to the New Testament highly recommended for its biblical scholarship, The Blackwell Companion to the Bible and Culture seems more reader-friendly but just as thorough as indicated by its ample citations and impressive bibliographies at the end of each chapter. Both books also make excellent reference guides without overlapping. i.e., Instead of presenting approaches that influence our understanding of a biblical text,The Blackwell Companion to the Bible and Culture shows the influence of the Bible on literature, art, music, psychology, and even history and politics.”  (Bible Reviewer, 7 December 2013)"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)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, October 2008)“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)"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)"A unique manual that demonstrates that biblical studies are no longer done exclusively in departments of theology ... For all reference libraries."(International Review of Biblical Studies)

• Notes on Contributors viii List of Figures xiiiIntroduction 1John F. A. SawyerPart I Revealing the Past 91 The Ancient World 11Philip R. Davies2 The Patristic Period 28Kate Cooper3 The Middle Ages 39Mary Dove4 The Renaissance 54Ilona N. Rashkow5 The Reformation 69Peter Matheson6 The Counter-Reformation 85Euan Cameron7 The Modern World 104John W. RogersonPart II The Nomadic Text 1178 Judaism 119Edward Kessler9 Islam 135Stephen N. Lambden10 Asia 158Choan-Seng Song11 Africa 176Jonathan A. Draper12 North America 198Scott M. Langston13 Latin America 217Erhard S. Gerstenberger14 Australasia 232Roland Boer and Ibrahim AbrahamPart III The Bible and the Senses 25115 Literature 253Jo Carruthers16 Film 268Alice Bach17 Music 286John W. Rogerson18 Art 299Heidi J. Hornik and Mikeal C. Parsons19 Architecture 323Andrew Ballantyne20 The Theatre 338Meg Twycross21 The Circus 365Burke O. Long22 The Body 381Gerard LoughlinPart IV Reading in Practice 39723 Contextuality 399Gerald West24 Politics 414Tim Gorringe25 Ecology 432Anne Primavesi26 Psychology 447Ilona N. Rashkow27 Gender 464Deborah F. Sawyer28 Nationalism 480Jo Carruthers29 Post-colonialism 497Sharon A. Bong30 Postmodernism 515Andrew TateIndex of Biblical References 534General Index 546