Robert Alter and the Bible as Literature
Robert Alter’s influential studies and translations of the Hebrew Bible emphasise the texts’ literary artistry over history or theology. This essay discusses Alter’s work in the context of the interrelated discussions of ‘the Bible as literature’ and ‘religion and secularism’. Alter’s literary studi...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
2010
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| In: |
Literature and theology
Year: 2010, Volume: 24, Issue: 1, Pages: 56-72 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Electronic
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| Summary: | Robert Alter’s influential studies and translations of the Hebrew Bible emphasise the texts’ literary artistry over history or theology. This essay discusses Alter’s work in the context of the interrelated discussions of ‘the Bible as literature’ and ‘religion and secularism’. Alter’s literary studies of the Bible have aimed to redirect scholarly attention to overlooked methods of study, but they also resonate with cultural debates on the Bible, religion and secularism in public life. My argument is that Alter’s work, while it defends the secular study of literature, engages questions of religion and secularity in nuanced ways that echo and complement the work of Walter Benjamin and Talal Asad. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-4623 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Literature and theology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/litthe/frp054 |