The traces that the Bible has left in the arts, sciences, and realms of image and meaning in the West are countless. The awareness of this impact is beginning to fade just as the knowledge of the biblical texts themselves is diminishing. Some traces of the Bible have long been blurred, others are gradually becoming unrecognizable. Some still unmistakably point to the Book of Books, while others have forgotten their origins, and finally, some have directly influenced biblical interpretations and have become indistinguishable from the original text. The media through which the Bible is received are no less diverse than its confessional, ideological, and historical transformations.

The contributions in this volume trace different paths of the Bible through the sciences and arts from late antiquity to the 20th century. The focus is less on thematic and material traditions than on the various ways in which references to the Book of Books are made. Three important characteristics of the Bible guide the individual studies: the Bible as a reservoir of themes, stories, forms, and topoi of cultural memory; the Bible as a catalyst for discussions about the limits and possibilities of hermeneutics, reading techniques, and the constitution of meaning; the Bible as a paradigmatic book along with its media-historical effects.