Orality, Literacy, and Colonialism in Antiquity

Download or read book Orality, Literacy, and Colonialism in Antiquity written by Jonathan A. Draper and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2004 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Essays in this collection explore the complex relationship between text and orality in colonial situations of antiquity from Homer, Plato, and Mithras to the Hebrew and Christian scriptures and rabbinic tradition. Orality could be a deliberate decision by highly literate people who chose not to put certain things in writing, either to exercise control over the tradition or to preserve the secrecy of ritual performance. Exploring both theoretical issues and historical questions, the book demonstrates the role of text as a form of imperial control over against oral tradition as a means of resistance by the marginalized peasantry or marginalized elite of Israel and the early Church. Paperback edition is available from the Society of Biblical Literature (www.sbl-site.org)