Sensing Sacred Texts - James W Watts
Scripture’s Indexical Touch
Sensing Sacred Texts - James W Watts
James W Watts [+]
Syracuse University
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James W. Watts is Professor of Religion at Syracuse University. His publications include How and Why Books Matter: Essays on the Social Function of Iconic Texts (Equinox, 2019) and Understanding the Bible as a Scripture in History Culture and Religion (Wiley, 2021).
Description
The collection concludes by drawing on C. S. Pierce’s theory of signs and Roy Rappaport’s theory of ritual to argue that touching sacred texts and the sight to people touching them indexes their religious identity. Through ritual touching, these books become material manifestations of deity and transcendence which, in many traditions, become the most important religious artefacts.