The Blackwell Companion to the Bible and Culture Wiley Blackwell Companions to Religion Series

• Consists of 30 articles written by distinguished specialists from around the world
• Draws on interdisciplinary and international examples to explore how the Bible has impacted on all the major social contexts where it has been influential ? ancient, medieval and modern, world-wide
• Gives examples of how the Bible has influenced literature, art, music, history, religious studies, politics, ecology and sociology
• Each article is accompanied by a comprehensive bibliography
• Offers guidance on how to read the Bible and its many interpretations

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