The Problem of Ideology in Biblical Studies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/bsor.v40.i4.10537Keywords:
Ideology, Marxism, Biblical Studies, Religion and TheoryAbstract
The issue of ideology is one which is still in need of discussion in biblical studies. In this article I will map the way that the various strains of social approaches to New Testament have started to address this issue, though often indirectly. I will then move to an explicit discussion of the issue making reference to the Marxist tradition focusing on Marx, Althusser and Žižek. I will argue that rather than the more traditional view which focuses on a non-ideological space like science, a better approach is one championed by Žižek which looks for gaps and cracks in the social world which then lend themselves to ideological criticism.
References
Althusser, Louis. 1972. Lenin and Philosophy, and Other Essays. New York: Monthly Review Press.
Arnal, William. 2001. Jesus and the Village Scribes. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Publishers.
Avalos, Hector. 2007. The End of Biblical Studies. New York: Prometheus Books.
Crossley, James G. 2006. Why Christianity Happened: A Sociohistorical Account of Christian Origins. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
Gager, John G. 1975. Kingdom and Community: The Social World of Early Christianity. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
Harris, Sam. 2005. The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason. New York: W. W. Norton.
Hitchens, Christopher. 2009. God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. New York: Twelve.
Horsley, Richard A. 1994. Sociology and the Jesus Movement. New York: Continuum.
Jobling, David, and Tina Pippin. 1992. Semeia 59: Ideological Criticism of Biblical Texts. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature.
Mack, Burton L. 1988. A Myth Of Innocence: Mark and Christian Origins. Philadelphia: Fortress Press.
Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. 1970. The German ideology. New York: International Publishers Co.
McCutcheon, Russell T. 2001. Critics Not Caretakers. Albany: State University of New York Press. Reed. Randall W., 2010. A Clash of Ideologies: Marxism, Liberation Theology and Apocalypticism in New Testament Studies. Eugene: Pickwick Publications.
Shermer, Michael. 2003. How We Believe: Science, Skepticism, and the Search for God. New York: Holt.
———. 2007. The Mind of the Market: Compassionate Apes, Competitive Humans, and Other Tales from Evolutionary Economics. New York: Times Books.
Smith, Jonathan Z. 1975. “Social Description of Early Christianity.” Religious Studies Review 1, (1975): 19-25.
———. 1978a. Map Is Not Territory: Studies in the History of Religions. Leiden: Brill Academic Pub.
———. 1978b. “Too much Kingdom, Too Little Community.” Zygon 13 (June 1): 123-130.
———. 1994. Drudgery Divine: On the Comparison of Early Christianities and the Religions of Late Antiquity. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press.
Vaage, Leif E. 1994. Galilean Upstarts: Jesus’ First Followers According to Q. Philadelphia: Trinity Press International.
Žižek, Slavoj. 1989. The Sublime Object of Ideology. Brooklyn: Verso.
______. 2003. The Puppet and the Dwarf:The Perverse Core of Christianity. Brooklyn: Verso.
———. 2006. Lacan: The Silent Partners. Brooklyn: Verso.
______. 2009. The Fragile Absolute: Or, Why is the Christian Legacy Worth Fighting For? Brooklyn: Verso.
Arnal, William. 2001. Jesus and the Village Scribes. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Publishers.
Avalos, Hector. 2007. The End of Biblical Studies. New York: Prometheus Books.
Crossley, James G. 2006. Why Christianity Happened: A Sociohistorical Account of Christian Origins. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
Gager, John G. 1975. Kingdom and Community: The Social World of Early Christianity. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
Harris, Sam. 2005. The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason. New York: W. W. Norton.
Hitchens, Christopher. 2009. God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. New York: Twelve.
Horsley, Richard A. 1994. Sociology and the Jesus Movement. New York: Continuum.
Jobling, David, and Tina Pippin. 1992. Semeia 59: Ideological Criticism of Biblical Texts. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature.
Mack, Burton L. 1988. A Myth Of Innocence: Mark and Christian Origins. Philadelphia: Fortress Press.
Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. 1970. The German ideology. New York: International Publishers Co.
McCutcheon, Russell T. 2001. Critics Not Caretakers. Albany: State University of New York Press. Reed. Randall W., 2010. A Clash of Ideologies: Marxism, Liberation Theology and Apocalypticism in New Testament Studies. Eugene: Pickwick Publications.
Shermer, Michael. 2003. How We Believe: Science, Skepticism, and the Search for God. New York: Holt.
———. 2007. The Mind of the Market: Compassionate Apes, Competitive Humans, and Other Tales from Evolutionary Economics. New York: Times Books.
Smith, Jonathan Z. 1975. “Social Description of Early Christianity.” Religious Studies Review 1, (1975): 19-25.
———. 1978a. Map Is Not Territory: Studies in the History of Religions. Leiden: Brill Academic Pub.
———. 1978b. “Too much Kingdom, Too Little Community.” Zygon 13 (June 1): 123-130.
———. 1994. Drudgery Divine: On the Comparison of Early Christianities and the Religions of Late Antiquity. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press.
Vaage, Leif E. 1994. Galilean Upstarts: Jesus’ First Followers According to Q. Philadelphia: Trinity Press International.
Žižek, Slavoj. 1989. The Sublime Object of Ideology. Brooklyn: Verso.
______. 2003. The Puppet and the Dwarf:The Perverse Core of Christianity. Brooklyn: Verso.
———. 2006. Lacan: The Silent Partners. Brooklyn: Verso.
______. 2009. The Fragile Absolute: Or, Why is the Christian Legacy Worth Fighting For? Brooklyn: Verso.
Published
2012-01-02
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Reed, R. (2012). The Problem of Ideology in Biblical Studies. Bulletin for the Study of Religion, 40(4), 17-23. https://doi.org/10.1558/bsor.v40.i4.10537
