Disciplines
• English
• Literature
• English language and linguistics
• Creative writing
Religion and literature:
The experience of religion requires a certain
level of creativity, to travel to places
that are not seen. It is natural that people
over time have used literature to express
their profound religious experiences, to
communicate with others and fully integrate
them in their own minds. Writers have also
used prose, poetry, plays and other forms
of literature to pose questions and critiques
about religious beliefs and practices, and
their impact on the individual and society.
Literature, in turn, has been influenced
by the themes of major spiritual scriptures.
Some contemporary examples include J.R.R.
Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings"
and C.S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia"
series, which have been popular with readers
for decades and draw on Christian themes.
Classic literature such as John Milton's
"Paradise Lost" epically retells
of the fall of Adam and Eve, focusing on
the motivations of the fallen angels. 19th-century
Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky's novels
explore religious and philosophical themes
such as the nature of God and purpose of
evil. Dante Alighieri's "The Divine
Comedy" vividly describes his vision
of traveling through hell, purgatory and
heaven. One of the earliest recorded epics,
the Sumerian tale of Gilgamesh, tells of
a king who is two-thirds god and one-third
man, on a quest for immortality. The Bhagavad-Gita,
an ancient Hindu text, tackles in poetic
form the discord between the senses and
intuition of cosmic order. It reportedly
influenced the works of Omar Khayyam, Walt
Whitman, Aldous Huxley, Hermann Hesse and
T S Eliot. Hesse's "Siddhartha"
allegorically deals with the spiritual journey
of an Indian man called Siddhartha during
the time of the Buddha.
These works were
not all originally written in English, but
translations of many have become part of
the canon of English literature courses.
They are only a few examples of the relationship
between religion and literature, since the
beginning of the written word. Their enduring
popularity speaks to the power of narrative,
myth and story embedded in works of religious
scripture and literature. These stories
are valued, examined, told and retold because
readers and writers find they express deep
truths about human nature and the world.
Religion and language:
Religion has also influenced the English
language spoken and written today, as the
blending of religious traditions and cultures
over the centuries has added words to each
language. One example is the Bible, whose
language, symbolism, "characters,"
and themes influence the style, symbolism
and narrative of much literature today,
directly or indirectly. The Bible was first
translated into English in the 1520s and
1530s by William Tyndale, leader of the
Reformation in England. Phrases we think
of as biblical, such as "let there
be light" and "ye of little faith"
come from his translation of the Bible,
as well as "eat, drink and be merry,"
"the powers that be," "the
salt of the earth" " a man after
his own heart" and "the signs
of the times."
These found their way
into the 1611 King James Bible, which also
is the source for English-language expressions
such as "can the leopard change his
spots?", "eye to eye," "gird
one's loins," "in the twinkling
of an eye," "fell flat on his
face," "a fly in the ointment,"
"labor of love," "put words
in his mouth," "land of the living,"
and "the root of the matter,"
among others. Some say the King James version
is the greatest work of English prose ever
written. Its poetic style is reflected in
the works of William Shakespeare, Milton,
Eliot, Coleridge, Martin Luther King Jr.'s
speeches and Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg
Address." It is because modern English
was so influenced by the King James translation
that its text remains readable - and in
use - four centuries later.
Issues today:
Understanding the religious roots of literature
and language lends deeper insights into
the works of many writers, both contemporary
and of the past. As the global marketplace
expands exposure to international literature,
knowledge of the texts and traditions of
religions around the world will lead to
a more contextualized reading of these works,
their cultures and current events.
Religion
& Literature
Religion
& the Arts
Journal
of Popular Culture
Journal
of Biblical Literature
Journal
of Ritual Studies
Christianity
and Literature
Journal
of Semitic Studies
American
Academy of Religion Syllabi Search
Rhetoric
of Religion
Karen D. Austin
Shepherd College
The
English Bible as Literature
Dr. Theodore Trost
University of Alabama
Exile
and Religion in Asian Literatures
McMaster University
Dr. Lavanya Vemsani
Religion
and Literature
Dr. Oren B. Stier
Florida International University
Religion
in Science Fiction
Dr. James F. McGrath
Butler University
Scriptural
and Doctrinal Backgrounds in Literature
David Mycoff
Warren Wilson College
Modern
Jewish Literature
Washington and Lee University
Association of Muslim Social Scientists of North America
Catholic Writers Online
Christian Academics
Christian Writers’ Group
Professional Association for Christian Writers
Society of Biblical Literature
• See a full list of professional associations and resources here.
|
