TEACHING THE BIBLE THROUGH POPULAR CULTURE AND THE ARTS Resources for Biblical Study Susan Ackerman, Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Editor J. Ross Wagner, New Testament Editor Number 53 TEACHING THE BIBLE THROUGH POPULAR CULTURE AND THE ARTS TEACHING THE BIBLE THROUGH POPULAR CULTURE AND THE ARTS Edited by Mark Roncace and Patrick Gray Society of Biblical Literature Atlanta TEACHING THE BIBLE THROUGH POPULAR CULTURE AND THE ARTS Copyright © 2007 by the Society of Biblical Literature All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by means of any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permit- ted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to the Rights and Permissions Office, Society of Biblical Literature, 825 Houston Mill Road, Atlanta, GA 30329 USA. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Teaching the Bible through popular culture and the arts / edited by Mark Roncace, Patrick Gray. p. cm. — (Society of Biblical Literature resources for biblical study ; no. 53) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN: 978-1-58983-244-2 (paper binding : alk. paper) 1. Bible—Study and teaching. 2. Popular culture—Religious aspects—Study and teach- ing. 3. Arts and religion—Study and teaching. I. Roncace, Mark. II. Gray, Patrick, 1970–. BS600.3.T43 2007 220.071—dc22 2007036077 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free, recycled paper conforming to ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R1997) and ISO 9706:1994 standards for paper permanence. Contents List of Contributors ...............................................................................................vii Introduction Mark Roncace and Patrick Gray .....................................................................1 Part 1: MusiC Introduction: Teaching the Bible with Music Mark Roncace and Dan W. Clanton Jr. ..........................................................7 Popular Music Mark Roncace and Dan W. Clanton Jr. ........................................................15 Classical Music Dan W. Clanton Jr. and Bryan Bibb .............................................................53 Part 2: FilM Introduction: Teaching the Bible with Film Patrick Gray ....................................................................................................87 The Bible in Film Nicola Denzey and Patrick Gray ...................................................................97 Nonbiblical Narrative in Film Nicola Denzey and Patrick Gray .................................................................119 Part 3: art Introduction: Teaching the Bible with Art Lynn R. Huber and Dan W. Clanton Jr. ......................................................175 Biblical Subjects in Art Lynn R. Huber, Dan W. Clanton Jr., and Jane S.Webster ..........................187 vi contents Abstract and Nonbiblical Art Lynn R. Huber ...............................................................................................229 Part 4: literature Introduction: Teaching the Bible with Literature Jaime Clark-Soles ..........................................................................................241 Poetry Ira Brent Driggers and Brent A. Strawn .....................................................251 Prose: Fiction and Nonfiction Jaime Clark-Soles, Patrick Gray, and Brent A. Strawn .............................297 Part 5: other Media Introduction .........................................................................................................325 Cartoons and Comics Dan W. Clanton Jr. .......................................................................................329 Youth Literature, Programming, and Entertainment Mark Roncace................................................................................................335 Animated Television Dan W. Clanton Jr. and Mark Roncace ......................................................343 Television Dramas and Documentaries Dan W. Clanton Jr. and Mark Roncace ......................................................353 Internet Websites Mark Roncace................................................................................................359 Indexes Biblical Texts ...................................................................................................... 365 Noncanonical Texts ........................................................................................... 378 Music ................................................................................................................... 379 Film ..................................................................................................................... 383 Art ........................................................................................................................ 386 Literature ............................................................................................................ 389 Contributors Bryan Bibb Patrick Gray Furman University Rhodes College Greenville, South Carolina Memphis, Tennessee Dan W. Clanton Jr. Lynn R. Huber University of Denver Elon University Denver, Colorado Elon, North Carolina Jaime Clark-Soles Mark Roncace Perkins School of Theology Wingate University Southern Methodist University Wingate, North Carolina Dallas, Texas Brent A. Strawn Nicola Denzey Emory University Harvard University Atlanta, Georgia Cambridge, Massachusetts Jane S. Webster Ira Brent Driggers Barton College Pfeiffer University Wilson, North Carolina Misenheimer, North Carolina -vii- Introduction Mark Roncace and Patrick Gray Relatively few resources offer specific, innovative ideas for teaching par- ticular texts and topics in courses devoted to the Bible. In our own effort to provide such a resource (Teaching the Bible: Practical Strategies for Classroom Instruction [SBLRBS 49; Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2005]), we drew on the expertise and experience of nearly one hundred college, university, and seminary professors. One trend that came to our attention in the process of editing that collection is the increasing use of various nonbiblical media— music, film, art, and literature—in biblical studies classrooms. The present volume, which focuses on the incorporation of popular culture and the arts, is thus a supplement to our first volume. Both works assume an academic approach to the Bible but represent a wide range of methodological, theologi- cal, and ideological perspectives. The primary objective of each is to present an eclectic compendium of engaging classroom strategies for teaching the Bible in undergraduate, seminary, church, and synagogue settings. Whereas the first volume is organized according to the standard divisions of the Jewish and Christian canons, this volume features chapters devoted to the various media that serve as intertexts for study alongside the biblical writings. Each section includes an introduction surveying the ways in which the Bible intersects with works in a given medium and highlighting common pedagogical objectives well-suited to that medium. Concluding the intro- ductory essays are bibliographies listing general studies, anthologies, and secondary literature cited in the discussions of particular works in the subse- quent chapters. Part 1 (“Music”): one chapter discusses classroom strategies for use with several dozen examples of popular music; a second chapter considers a selection of classical compositions. Part 2 (“Film”): one chapter examines renderings of biblical narrative into film (so-called “sword and sandal” movies); a second chapter con- siders Hollywood releases bearing less explicit connections to the Bible -- teaching the bible and the ways in which particular scenes may be employed in the class- room. Part 3 (“Art”): one chapter discusses works of art that depict scenes and characters from the Bible; a second chapter examines works that gener- ate conversation about a variety of concepts arising in biblical studies courses, despite the fact that the artists make no attempt at representing subjects typically considered “biblical.” Part 4 (“Literature”): one chapter explores the heuristic uses of poetry with direct or indirect links to biblical themes; a second chapter discusses the pedagogical potential of a smaller sampling of prose excerpts (fiction and nonfiction). Part 5 (“Other Media”): a final chapter briefly introduces material such as comic strips, the Internet, and television programs, resources for biblical studies courses that have until recently remained largely untapped. Each chapter consists of a catalogue of entries focusing on one or more literary, cinematic, artistic, or musical works. Entries concisely lay out specific strategies for deploying these works in classroom settings or related assign- ments. While the introductions outline generic sets of questions that could be applied, say, to any artistic image or musical composition, individual entries briefly describe and include discussion questions or exercises tailored to the particular works under consideration. Although the chapters do not function as primers in the technical skills of literary or film criticism, there is sufficient background for enhancing one’s teaching repertoire through the integration of the diverse materials surveyed in the following pages. The contributors to this volume have not attempted to catalogue all cre-