The Land Without Promise : The Roots and Afterlife of One Biblical Allusion

Katerina Koci charts the development of the promised land motif, starting from its biblical roots and examining its reception over the centuries until the present day. As her corner stone, Koci uses Hans-Georg Gadamer's claim that there are two complementary paths towards understanding and knowledge: science and art. Thus, to be faithful to the creed of the great hermeneutist, Koci ventures into both topics, arguing that while science sets out historical-critical analysis of the promised land motif in the Hebrew Bible and its later receptions, art enriches the interpretation with its literary illustrations. This volume places particular focus on American contexts, since the concept of the promised land is so deeply intertwined with American religious-political mythologies, and with the art of John Steinbeck and Walter Brueggemann in particular. By discussing artistic interpretation in biblical hermeneutics, the context and reception of Genesis 15.7 and Exodus 3.8 in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, and the history of the promised land motif and its interpretations, Koci argues that artistic receptions of biblical motifs are crucial for biblical scholarship in opening new hermeneutical and thematical horizons. Cover Title Copyright Acknowledgments Contents Introduction The Bible and literature Aims and methods Chapter 1 The Role of Artistic Interpretation in Biblical Hermeneutics The role of art in the hermeneutical process The text and the reader: partners in a dialogue The struggle between synchrony and diachrony Chapter 2 The Context and Reception of the Promised Land Motif in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament A thematic analysis of the promised land in the Hebrew Bible An historical-critical analysis of Genesis 15.7 and Exodus 3.8 An historical-critical analysis of Genesis 15.1-21 An historical-critical analysis of Exodus 3.1-12 Reception of the promised land in the Hebrew Bible The Torah Deuteronomistic History The literary prophets to the end of the exile The postexilic era Reception of the promised land in the New Testament The Gospels and Acts The Pauline Epistles The non-Pauline Epistles Chapter 3 The Extra-Biblical and Post-Biblical History of the Promised Land Motif The history of biblical scholarship Antiquity Reformation Late tradition and application The history of literary scholarship Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Reformation Late reception and application The history of religious communities in the American Episcopal Church The community of New England Puritans The American Episcopal community of later centuries Chapter 4 Interpretations of the Promised Land Motif by Walter Brueggemann and John Steinbeck Brueggemann’s interpretation of the promised land motif The land as symbol and fascinans Brueggemann’s land symbolism: between landlessness and landedness Curing one’s conscience but what comes next? Brueggemann and liberation theology John Steinbeck’s interpretation of the promised land motif Steinbeck as a biblical interpreter A foretaste of paradise: The Pastures of Heaven and Of Mice and Men Passion to possess: To a God Unknown Killing the land and marching further west: The Grapes of Wrath The soul’s journey towards the promised land: East of Eden Conclusion Literal and/or allegorical face of the promised land Steinbeck and Brueggemann Steinbeck’s contribution to the interpretation of the promised land motif Bibliography Index of References Index of Authors