ABSTRACT

Sacred Languages and Sacred Texts is the first comprehensive study of the role of languages and texts in the religions of the Greco-Roman world, including Judaism and Christianity.
It explores bilingualism, language learning, literacy, book production and translation, as well as some of the more explicitly religious factors, including beliefs about language, missionary zeal, ritual, conservatism and the power of a priestly establishment.
Sacred Languages and Sacred Texts sheds new light on the role of the power of words, spoken and written, in religion.

chapter |8 pages

Introduction

chapter |14 pages

The Language Situation

chapter |21 pages

Sacred Languages

chapter |15 pages

Literacy

chapter |17 pages

Canonization

chapter |20 pages

Translation

chapter |16 pages

Beliefs and Controls

chapter |17 pages

Names and Numbers

chapter |14 pages

Styles and Strategies

chapter |19 pages

Interpretation

chapter |9 pages

Conclusion