Scriptures, Myths, and Power: The Bible at Work - Chapter Five

Working the Scriptures in America

Authors

  • Burton Mack Claremont Graduate University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/post.v5i1.91

Keywords:

Institute for Signifying Scriptures, Henry Louis Gates Jr., oral culture, criticism

Abstract

Part 6 of Burton Mack's extended conversation with Vincent Wimbush and Institute for Signifying Scripture, Claremont Graduate University. The conversation revolves around the cultural function of the Bible as Christian myth in American society, and the African-American domestication of the Bible as their Scripture. The essay explores the differences between the Bible as myth in the dominant Euro-American tradition, and the Bible as Scripture in African-American experience. Drawing upon the work of Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the concept of "signifying" describes a remarkable linguistic style characteristic of African-American mentality and culture.

Author Biography

  • Burton Mack, Claremont Graduate University

    Burton Mack is Emeritus Professor of Early Christianity, Claremont Graduate University

Published

2011-08-23

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Mack, B. (2011). Scriptures, Myths, and Power: The Bible at Work - Chapter Five: Working the Scriptures in America. Postscripts: The Journal of Sacred Texts, Cultural Histories, and Contemporary Contexts, 5(1), 91-113. https://doi.org/10.1558/post.v5i1.91