The cultural reception of the Bible

Explorations in theology, literature and the arts

Salvador Ryan, Liam M. Treacy OSM

• Publisher: Four Courts Press
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN: 9781846827785
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: History of Christianity

The Bible is undoubtedly the most influential 'book' that the world has ever known. In thirty essays, this wide-ranging volume examines the cultural impact of biblical texts, from the early Middle Ages to the present day, on areas such as theology, philosophy, ethics, ecology, politics, literature, art, music and film. Contributions range from Saadia Gaon's tenth-century Arabic translation of the Pentateuch to Martin Scorsese's 1988 film adaptation of The Last Temptation of Christ; from the biblically inspired writings of a late seventeenth-century French galley slave to Paul Ricouer's reading of The Song of Songs; and from the deep biblical culture of fifth-century Rome to the divisions that biblical verses perpetuated in late twentieth-century Ulster.
Contributors include: Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, CSsR (Newark); Thomas O'Loughlin (U Nottingham); Cornelius Casey, CSsR (TCD); Jeremy Corley (SPCM); Noel O'Sullivan (SPCM); Michael A. Conway (SPCM); Jessie Rogers (SPCM); Martin O'Kane (U Wales, Trinity Saint David); Kerry Houston (DIT); and more.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Introduction
• I. Setting the Scene
• Where Did It Happen? Maps, World-views and the Reception of the Bible
• II. Theological Readings of the Bible
• The Spiritual Interpretation of Scripture
• Allegory and Cross-Reading: Paul Ricoeur and The Song of Songs
• Biblical Ideas on the Origin of Evil: James 1:12‒14 in Light of theRabbinic Yetzer
• The Use of Scripture in the Moral Theology of Saint Alphonsusde Liguori
• Amoris Laetitia: Moral, Biblical and Historical Perspectives
• Israel’s Prophets Go Green in Biblical Literature, Church and World
• III. The Living World: the Bible in Preaching, Liturgy and Life
• Between War and Fasting: Uncovering Leo, Joel and Pauline Thoughtin an Ash-Wednesday Prayer
• From Ireland to Bohemia: The Distant Reach of Thomas of Irelandand His De Tribus Punctis
• ‘Preachers of Reality and Not of Words’: St Alphonsus andthe Sacred Scriptures
• Élie Neau’s Patchwork Bible: Reading Scripture, Reframing Captivityin Early Modern France
• The Image of the Church as Temple: Reflections on the Order of theDedication of the Church
• Bible, Worship and Justice in Africa: Inspiration from Paul’s Theologyof Worship
• The Bible and the Child: Scripture as a Contribution to ReligiousEducation
• ‘For God and Ulster’: An Anecdotal Look at the Use and Abuse ofScripture in Northern Ireland
• ‘Know and Forget, Know and Forget’: The Intrusive Reception of theBible in Preaching
• ‘In the Presence of My Sisters and Brothers’: Reading Together asBiblical Formation
• IV. 'Translating' the Bible
• Hebrew Echoes in Arabic: Some Observations on Saadia Gaon’s ArabicTranslation of the Pentateuch
• F.J.A. Hort (1828‒92), the Dublin-born Member of the CambridgeTriumvirate and Translating the Revised Version of the Bible
• The New Testament and Its Discontents in the Thought of FranzOverbeck
• V. Reception of the Bible in Literature and the Arts
• Bible and Culture as a Two-Way Street in the Friendship Poem of Sirach, Chapter 6
• Biblical Commentary in the Illustrations of the Book of Kells
• Painting the Prophet Elijah: The Artistic Appeal
• Handel’s Messiah – The First Coming or the Second Coming?
• The Honan Chapel’s St John Window: Journey of the Beloved Disciple
• Biblical Metatextuality in the Writings of Julien Green
• ‘No One Is Christ’: The Frustrated Endeavours of Nathanael West’sMiss Lonelyhearts
• Re-writing the Gospel: Cinema and Scripture in Martin Scorsese’sThe Last Temptation of Christ
• Christian Perspectives on Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken (2014)
• VI. Appreciations
• Brendan McConvery: Teacher and Mentor
• Brendan McConvery: Pilgrim Guide to the ‘Fifth Gospel’
• Redemptorist Communications: Brendan McConvery’s Contribution
• Brendan McConvery and Scripture in Church
• VII. Postscript
• Quartet for the End of Time
• List of Plates
• List of Contributors
• Index
• Plates