Holy Writ as Oral Lit: the Bible as Folklore PDF
Preview Holy Writ as Oral Lit: the Bible as Folklore
Holy Writ as Oral Lit Holy Writ as Oral Lit The Bible as Folklore Alan Dundes ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC. Lanham•Boulder•NewYork•Oxford ROWMAN&LITTLEFIELDPUBLISHERS,INC. PublishedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica byRowman&LittlefieldPublishers,Inc. 4720BostonWay,Lanham,Maryland20706 12Hid’sCopseRoad CumnorHill,OxfordOX29JJ,England Copyright!1999byRowman&LittlefieldPublishers,Inc. Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced, storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformorbyany means,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,orotherwise, withoutthepriorpermissionofthepublisher. BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationInformationAvailable LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Dundes,Alan. Holywritasorallit:theBibleasfolklore/AlanDundes. p. cm. Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. ISBN0-8476-9197-7(alk.paper).—ISBN0-8476-9198-5(pbk.: alk.paper) 1. FolkloreintheBible. 2. Bible—Criticism,Form. I. Title. BS625.D86 1999 220.6!6—dc21 98-42449 CIP PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica ""#Thepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirementsof AmericanNationalStandardforInformationSciences—PermanenceofPaper forPrintedLibraryMaterials,ANSIZ39.48-1984. Contents Acknowledgments vii HolyWritasOralLit:TheBibleasFolklore WhatIsFolklore? 2 WrittenFolklore 5 PreviousStudiesofFolkloreandtheBible 9 VariationinNumber,Name,andSequence 21 VariationinNumber 21 VariationinName 37 VariationinSequence 53 MoreDuplicateTexts 63 TheTenCommandments 96 TheLord’sPrayer 103 StillMoreDuplicateTexts 105 Conclusion 111 Bibliography 119 Index 127 AbouttheAuthor 131 v Acknowledgments This book combines a lifelong love of the Bible with a career in the study of folklore. The numerous citations all come from my family Bible, which happens to be the King James Version, first set forth in 1611.Iamwellawareoftheexistenceofmanydifferenttranslationsof the Bible besides the Authorized Version of 1611, such as the Revised Standard Version of 1952 and the Jerusalem Bible of 1966. I do not believe that the validity of my argument depends upon using any one particular translation of the Bible. The argument stands or falls on its own merit; minor differences in the wording of any passage in either theOldortheNewTestamentshouldnotaffectthebasicthrustofmy discussion. Iwouldliketoexpressmyheartfeltthankstomydearwife,Carolyn, who has encouraged me in this as in all my scholarly endeavors, and especially for repeatedly asking, Isn’t all this already pretty much known by readers of the Bible? Is there anything new or original in whatyouaresaying?Itismysincerehopethatreadersofthisbookwill answerthosequestions,respectively,‘‘No’’and‘‘Yes!’’ AlanDundes vii
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