Oxford Handbook of the Bible in America

<p>Early Americans have long been considered "A People of the Book" Because the nickname was coined primarily to invoke close associations between Americans and the Bible it is easy to overlook the central fact that it was a book-not a geographic location a monarch or even a shared language-that has served as a cornerstone in countless investigations into the formation and fragmentation of early American culture. Few books can lay claim to such powers of civilization-altering influence. Among those which can are sacred books and for Americans principal among such books stands the Bible.</p><p>This <em>Handbook </em>is designed to address a noticeable void in resources focused on analyzing the Bible in America in various historical moments and in relationship to specific institutions and cultural expressions. It takes seriously the fact that the Bible is both a physical object that has exercised considerable totemic power as well as a text with a powerful intellectual design that has inspired everything from national religious and educational practices to a wide spectrum of artistic endeavors to our nation's politics and foreign policy.</p><p>This <em>Handbook </em>brings together a number of established scholars as well as younger scholars on the rise to provide a scholarly overview--rich with bibliographic resources--to those interested in the Bible's role in American cultural formation.</p>