The Bible and Sociological Theory

by David J. Chalcraft

The Bible and Sociological Theory is a textbook which looks at the central concerns of sociological theory from the perspective of biblical studies. It aims to provide students of biblical studies with an informed and dynamic introduction to the history of sociological thought. Chalcraft offers a comprehensive critical introduction to key theorists who have relevance to the sociological analysis of the Bible and its social worlds. This book is structured by thinker and is broad in scope: ranging from classical through to modern and postmodern sociology and encompassing the Old and New Testament as well as the Qumran texts. Each chapter introduces the biography, key works, central ideas and methodologies of each social theorist or group of theorists. Chalcraft then provides examples of how their ideas might be used in contemporary biblical studies. The chapters conclude with a section that seeks to illustrate how to approach a particular biblical text, substantive area of social life or process of social change using the approach of the theorist under consideration. The Bible and Sociological Theory tackles an area which presents the cutting-edge of biblical studies, as scholarship begins to focus more upon reception history and interaction with the thought of biblical writers on a sociological level in both past and present situations. The nature of biblical texts - as religious literature, intended for community use - renders them perhaps uniquely suitable for this kind of analysis and presents a wealth of opportunity for study and comment.

400 pages, Hardcover

First published September 5, 2013