A political history of the Bible in America
By: Paul D. Hanson
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Published: 2015
Place of publication: Louisville, Kentucky
Language: eng
Number of pages: 681
ISBN-13: 9780664260392
Subjects: Bible and politics; Bibel; Politik; Church history; Christianity and politics; Politics in the Bible; 11.33 Bible study and interpretation; Politieke aspecten
Description: This substantial work explores the interplay of religion and politics throughout the history of the United States. Paul D. Hanson traces American history back to colonial times, paying close attention to the role that biblical tradition has played in shaping the national story of the United States. He then presents a detailed study of politics in the Bible that is framed by the challenges and crises in American history. Students will learn how deeply religion has influenced both domestic and international policy and contributed to the nation's sense of identity and purpose. After laying these biblical-historical foundations, Hanson considers a method of biblical interpretation that can speak to the diverse nation of today. He proposes an inclusive form of public moral discourse that invites full participation by members of all religious and philosophical groups.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
Table of contents: title: Prologue: Story, identity, and making sense of the Bible; title: Part 1. A historical retrospective on the relation between the Bible and politics in the United States. Introduction ; The theocratic model of the Puritans ; The challenge of the prophetic-dialectical model ; The revolutionary period and the lure of the apocalyptic model ; Church and state in the founding documents ; The church-state partnership of the antebellum years ; The gilded age : the gospel of wealth and the social gospel ; Twentieth-century challenges ; The twenty-first century's perilous debut; title: Part 2. Politics in the Bible. Defining a suitable interpretive method ; Charismatic rule : Israel's first polity ; Monarchy : "like the other nations" ; Prophetic politics ; The politics of Amos : idolatrous nationalism and the collapse of moral leadership ; The politics of Hosea : moral bankruptcy and civil chaos ; Isaiah : the majesty of the Holy One as the nation's sole foundation ; Jeremiah : the suffering prophet ; Ezekiel : calamity, ritual cleansing, and restoration ; Isaiah 40-55 : exile and the renewal of hope ; Haggai and Zechariah : a temple-centered vision of restoration ; The Jewish commonwealth and a politics of accommodation ; Isaiah 24-27, 56-66, Ezekiel 38-39, Zechariah 9-14, Malachi : dissent and the dawning of apocalyptic politics ; Sapiential politics in Proverbs, Sirach, Job, and Ecclesiastes ; The apocalyptic politics of the book of Daniel and the Dead Sea scrolls ; Roman occupation and Jewish political responses ; The politics of the New Testament ; The politics of Jesus ; The politics of the Apostle Paul ; The church accommodates itself to a world not about to end ; The book of Revelation : a persecuted community seeks shelter in an apocalyptic vision ; The politics of the four gospels and Acts of the Apostles; title: Epilogue: What is the Bible's message for today?