James Priestman reviews the first Festival of Biblical Literature
In 2017, Evangelical Christians in the United States of America proposed that Isaiah’s description of the emperor Cyrus, who allowed the people of Judah to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, should be applied to Donald Trump. The continued adoration of Trump by Christians in the United States was a factor in his re-election as president in 2024. It is tragic that such appropriations of the Bible are often unchallenged. A reason for a lack of resistance is that many liberal-minded Christians are uncomfortable with the Bible and therefore reluctant to promote their own interpretations. There are sections of the Bible which advocate polygamy, slavery, xenophobia and homophobia. Chapters six to eleven of the Book of Joshua, in which God’s chosen people conduct a holy war, have been used to justify colonialism, exploitation and genocide. Many people, whether they are religious or not, find the Bible at best embarrassing and at worst pernicious.
By shunning the Bible, liberal-minded Christians are abandoning a resource that can be inspiring, intriguing, uplifting and life-enhancing. The stories, histories, prophesies, letters and poems of the Bible are known to one degree or another by people who identify as Jews, Christians, Muslims, Rastafarians, followers of other religions and by people who have no religion. It is part of the folk tradition of the UK, the USA and many other places. It is the most widely read book in the world.
The Festival of Biblical Literature, therefore treats the Bible as a collection of literature that can give enjoyment and meaning to everyone.
On the first day of the three days of the 2024 Festival I gave a talk on the prophecy of Isaiah, noting that alongside the passages about a prince of peace, there are sections in which acts of appalling inhumanity are ascribed to the will of God. We discussed ways of finding meaning in these passages. Afterwards, Doctor Anthony Swindell (a visiting research fellow at the University of Chester) spoke about the story of King David and Uriah the Hittite. He showed how the account of loyalty, adultery and murder has been used in literature as varied as the Cornish Ordinalia mystery play and Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield.
On the second day, Dr Simon Taylor, the Director of Mission and Ministry Support for the Diocese of Bristol, gave a talk on Creation myths. By comparing Genesis Chapter 1 to the Babylonian creation myths (which are thought to have been written at the same time as the Hebrew myth), Simon drew out a fascinating interpretation. In the afternoon, Anthony Swindell gave a talk on the use of the story of Job in modern literature. The day concluded with a recital of my poems based on stories from the Bible.
On the third day, I gave a talk that described the prophecy of Ezekiel as a response to trauma and mental illness. In the afternoon, Janet Scott (formerly Director of Studies in Theology and Religious Studies at Homerton College, Cambridge) described the political and social world of first century Palestine and the structure and literary traits of the Gospel of Mark.
The second Festival will take place in Great Malvern between 3rd and 5th July 2025. Speakers will include: Janet Scott on Mary and Martha; Simon Taylor on Jonah; Dr Ahreum Kim (University of Cambridge) on Jesus’s relationship with his disciples; Rabbi Anna Gerrard, on Esther, and Dr Elizabeth Hare, on Judah and Tamar. More festival speakers be confirmed by the time this article is published and there will be details of the festival’s music and poetry.
Please go to the website (https:// www.festivalofbiblicalliterature. co.uk/) for more information, to buy tickets and to join the mailing list.