The Land Without Promise - (Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies) by Katerina Koci (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

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 cornerstone, 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.

Review Quotes

"All scholars of reception history would benefit from reading Koci's take on the method, and traditional biblical studies scholars would benefit especially from the conclusion, where Koci argues that we have much to learn from artistic interpretations of the biblical text, whose creators are valid interpreters." --Review of Biblical Literature

About the Author

Katerina Koci is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Human Sciences, Austria.