Books and Readers in the Premodern World

Download or read book Books and Readers in the Premodern World written by Karl Shuve and published by SBL Press. This book was released on 2018-10-29 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A book about the role of books in shaping the ancient religious landscape This collection of essays by leading scholars from a variety of academic disciplines explores the ongoing relevance of Harry Gamble’s Books and Readers in the Early Church (1995) for the study of premodern book cultures. Contributors expand the conversation of book culture to examine the role the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Qur’an played in shaping the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religions in the ancient and medieval world. By considering books as material objects rather than as repositories for stories and texts, the essays examine how new technologies, new materials, and new cultural encounters contributed to these holy books spreading throughout territories, becoming authoritative, and profoundly shaping three global religions. Features: Comparative analysis of book culture in Roman, Jewish, Christian, and Islamic contexts Art-historical, papyrological, philological, and historical modes of analysis Essays that demonstrate the vibrant, ongoing legacy of Gamble’s seminal work