Myth and Scripture: Contemporary Perspectives on Religion, Language, and Imagination (Resources for Biblical Study Book 78)

An interdisciplinary collection for scholars and students interested in the connections between myth and scripture In this collection scholars suggest that using “myth” creates a framework within which to set biblical writings in both cultural and literary comparative contexts. Reading biblical accounts alongside the religious narratives of other ancient civilizations reveals what is commonplace and shared among them. The fruit of such work widens and enriches our understanding of the nature and character of biblical texts, and the results provide fresh evidence for how biblical writings became “scripture.” The contributors are Susan Ackerman, Dexter E. Callender Jr., John T. Fitzgerald, William Scott Green, Luke Timothy Johnson, Robert S. Kawashima, Steven J. Kraftchick, David L. Miller, James E. Miller, Hugh R. Page Jr., J. W. Rogerson, Robert A. Segal, Mark S. Smith, Ivan Strenski, Marvin A. Sweeney, Amy C. Merrill Willis, and Adela Yarbro Collins. Features: Essays that explore how myth sheds light on the emergence of scripture Examples drawn from the Ancient Near East, Hebrew Bible, New Testament, and Greco-Roman world Articles by experts from a range of disciplines Dexter E. Callender, Jr. is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Miami. He is the author of Adam in Myth and History: Ancient Israelite Perspectives on the Primal Human (Eisenbrauns). Read more