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31 - The Bible in literature

from Part V - Thematic Overview: Reception and Use of the Bible, 1750–2000

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 June 2015

By
Elena Volkova
Edited by
John Riches
John Riches
Affiliation:
University of Glasgow
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Summary

The Reformation's emphasis on the Bible as the major authority and the appearance of German criticism inspired many writers of the Enlightenment and the age of Romanticism to present biblical characters and stories in a new humanistic light. Writers presented new interpretations of negative or suffering biblical characters who seem to have been unfairly cursed by God including Adam and Eve, Cain, Hagar, Ishmael, and, later in the nineteenth century, Judas and feminine characters like Mary Magdalene. Inspired by the Christian revelation of God as a God of love, literature often rewrites the Bible in a sympathetic and forgiving Spirit. The 'quest for the historical Jesus' in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries produced several academic and fictional concepts and images. Most fictional Jesus narratives belong to second-rate literature. Pontius Pilate traditionally plays an important role in literature about Jesus, presenting the conflict between earthly and divine power and wisdom.

Keywords

Greek-speaking OrthodoxGeorgian Bible textOrthodox ChurchArabic-speaking Orthodox ChristiansChurch Slavonic BibleRomanian New Testament
Type
Chapter
Information
The New Cambridge History of the Bible , pp. 651 - 667
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2015

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