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| Dublin Core |
PKP Metadata Items |
Metadata for this Document |
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| 1. |
Title |
Title of document |
Book Aniconism: The Codex, Translation and Beliefs about Immaterial Texts - How and Why Books Matter |
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| 2. |
Creator |
Author's name, affiliation, country |
James Watts; Syracuse University; United States |
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| 3. |
Subject |
Discipline(s) |
Religious Studies |
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| 4. |
Subject |
Keyword(s) |
religious texts; manipulation of books; presentation of books; performance of books; social value of books; books in society;books and hte media; scriptures; iconic texts; literacy |
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| 5. |
Subject |
Subject classification |
Religious Texts; Cultural Studies |
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| 6. |
Description |
Abstract |
This chapter explores the old and powerful resistance in both academic and popular culture to seriously considering the significance of the material forms and uses of books. The view that what matters about a text is only what it says may seem like a rationalistic and modern perspective, but it actually dates back to ancient times. Believers in the immateriality of sacred texts criticize people who value the material form and appearance of scripture as superstitious, even idolatrous. They claim that ritualizing the iconic dimension of scriptures interferes with true religious piety which should focus on spiritual rather than material realities. This attitude is book aniconism. Book aniconism develops within a religious tradition as an attempt to purify and protect it. For believers in the immateriality of texts, the dichotomy between semantic meaning and material text represents the mystical dichotomy between the human spirit and body. Book aniconism was reinforced in Western culture by two tendencies in Christian tradition: the adoption of the codex as the primary form of the book, and translations of Christian scripture into every language possible. Thus both the material and linguistic forms of the Bible reinforced the belief that its importance lay only in its immaterial and infinitely translatable message. |
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| 7. |
Publisher |
Organizing agency, location |
Equinox Publishing Ltd |
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| 8. |
Contributor |
Sponsor(s) |
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| 9. |
Date |
(YYYY-MM-DD) |
25-Jun-2019 |
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| 10. |
Type |
Status & genre |
Peer-reviewed Article |
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| 11. |
Type |
Type |
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| 12. |
Format |
File format |
PDF |
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| 13. |
Identifier |
Uniform Resource Identifier |
https://journals.equinoxpub.com/index.php/books/article/view/35889 |
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| 14. |
Identifier |
Digital Object Identifier |
10.1558/equinox.35889 |
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| 15. |
Source |
Journal/conference title; vol., no. (year) |
Equinox eBooks Publishing; How and Why Books Matter |
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| 16. |
Language |
English=en |
en |
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| 18. |
Coverage |
Geo-spatial location, chronological period, research sample (gender, age, etc.) |
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| 19. |
Rights |
Copyright and permissions |
Copyright 2014 Equinox Publishing Ltd |