The Interpretation of the Old Testament in Greco-Roman Paganism

The Interpretation of the Old Testament in Greco-Roman Paganism

Cook, John Granger

Mohr Siebeck, 2004

Series Information

Studien und Texte zu Antike und Christentum, 23

Description: According to the available evidence not many pagans knew the Greek Bible (Septuagint) before the advent of Christianity. Those pagans who later became aware of Christian texts were among the first, according to the surviving data, to seriously explore the Septuagint. They found the Bible to be difficult reading. The pagans who reacted to biblical texts include Celsus (II C.E.), Porphyry (III C.E.), and Julian the Apostate (IV C.E.). These authors thought that if they could refute one of the primary foundations of Christianity, namely its use or interpretation of the Septuagint, then the new religion would perhaps crumble. John Granger Cook analyzes these pagans voice and elaborates on its importance, since it shows how Septuagint texts appeared in the eyes of Greco-Roman intellectuals. Theirs was not an abstract interest, however, because they knew that Christianity posed a grave danger to some of their dearest beliefs, self-understanding, and way of life.

Subjects: Methods, Historical Approaches, History, History of Interpretation

Review by David Lincicum

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Published 6/28/2008

Citation: David Lincicum, review of John Granger Cook, The Interpretation of the Old Testament in Greco-Roman Paganism, Review of Biblical Literature [http://www.bookreviews.org] (2008).

Painting the Text: The Artist as Biblical Interpreter

Painting the Text: The Artist as Biblical Interpreter
O'Kane, Martin
Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix, 2007

Series Information
The Bible in the Modern World, 8

Description: In this masterly work, Martin O'Kane shows artists at work as readers of the Bible and not simply as illustrators of biblical scenes. The painter's eye commonly sees nuances and subtleties of plot and characterization in the biblical text that traditional biblical criticism has overlooked. Focussing in fine detail on some well-known biblical themes-the deception of Isaac, the depiction of Isaiah's suffering servant, the visit of the Magi and the flight into Egypt, among others-O'Kane argues that modern readers need the artist's exegetical insight and engagement to appreciate the text fully. Ranging widely over mediaeval, Renaissance and modern art, the author situates his work within the hermeneutical aesthetics of Hans-Georg Gadamer, Mieke Bal and Paolo Berdini. Some 30 images are reproduced in the text.