Beyond the Written Word: Oral Aspects of Scripture in the History of ReligionCambridge University Press, 1993 M03 11 - 306 pages The concept of "scripture" as written religious text is reexamined in this close analysis of the traditions of oral use of the sacred writings of religions around the world. Pointing out the central importance of the oral and aural experience of religious texts in the life of religious communities of both Eastern and Western cultures, William Graham asserts the need for a new perspective on how scripture has been appropriated and used by the vast majority of all people who have been religious, most of whom could neither read nor write. |
Contents
Writing and Written Culture | 11 |
The Print Textuality of Modern Culture | 19 |
Books Reading and Literacy in the Premodern West | 30 |
Of Written and Spoken Scripture | 45 |
Scripture in JudeoChristian Perspective | 49 |
Holy Writ and Holy Word | 58 |
Scripture as Spoken Word The Indian Paradigm | 67 |
An Arabic Reciting Qurān as Spoken Book | 79 |
The Lively Oracles of God Bible as Spoken Word | 117 |
The Spoken Word of Christian Holy Writ | 119 |
Gods Word in the Desert | 126 |
Hearing and Seeing The Rhetoric of Martin Luther | 141 |
Conclusion | 155 |
Notes | 173 |
Abbreviations | 239 |
Bibliography | 244 |
Revelation and Recitation | 81 |
Muslim Scripture as Spoken Word | 96 |
Voicing the Qurān Questions of Meaning | 110 |
Other editions - View all
Beyond the Written Word: Oral Aspects of Scripture in the History of Religion William Albert Graham No preview available - 1988 |
Common terms and phrases
ancient Arabic Arthur Jeffery aural Bibel Bible biblical book religion Brahman Buddhist canon century chanting chap Chapter Christian monasticism cited classical context Copt culture especially example faith Friedrich Heiler function Geo Widengren Greek ḥadīth heart Hebrew scriptures Heilige Schriften Hindu Holy Scriptures holy writ ibid importance India Islam Jewish Judaic kitāb language learning Leipoldt and Morenz Literacy literate liturgy Lollardy Lotus Sūtra Luther meaning medieval meditatio meditation memorization modern monastic Mönchtum monks Muhammad Muslim oral dimension Pach Pachomian Pachomius particular passages piety prayer present printed Prophet psalms Qur'an Recitation reading aloud references religious revelation Rg Veda rhetoric ritual role sacred texts Schrift scriptural texts scriptural word sense society specific speech spoken word śruti synaxis tajwid Testament textual Torah trans translation University Press Veda Vedic Veilleux vocal vols Western worship Wort writing written text written word
Popular passages
Page viii - For books are not absolutely dead things, but do contain a potency of life in them to be as active as that soul was whose progeny they are...
Page 5 - ... [F]rom the historian's perspective, the sacrality or holiness of a book is not an a priori attribute of a text but one that is realized historically in the life of communities who respond to it as something sacred or holy. A text becomes 'scripture' in active, subjective relationship to persons, and as part of a cumulative communal tradition.