ABSTRACT
Judaeo-Christian religious literature for children takes the Bible as its central reference point and confirms religious identity by inculcating ritual practices or by mediating Bible content in edited versions that conform to national, temporal, confessional or denomination expectations. In the nineteenth century, Bible story collections proliferated in England and America and offered scores of approaches for micro-readerships of different ages, educational levels, confessions or denominations. The most durable genre for children, apart from catechisms, was the Bible story collection, which had first appeared in the high middle ages when Peter Comestor composed the Historia Scholastica in Latin for students at the University of Paris. Devotional literature differs from religious literature in its sources, form and intent. Religious and devotional literatures, principally concerned with the soul’s welfare, differ from moral literature, which is primarily concerned with inculcating values that lead to worldly success.
