The Social Life of Scriptures

Bielo's collection is a must for all serious students of Christianity. It puts forth such a simple idea, we have to wonder why it's taken so long for anthropologists to get it: we cannot understand Christianity without understanding 'the social life of Scriptures.' In their detailed analyses, the contributors here make a convincing case.

~Matthew Engelke, London School of Economics

The essays in this collection explore the multiple contexts in which the Bible is actually read. They make a major contribution to the anthropology of Christianity and to the study of reading and interpretive practices.

~Vincent Crapanzano, author of Serving the Word: Literalism in America from the Pulpit to the Bench

An intriguing collection of essays. Those who do believe that the Bible is divine revelation, but who are also willing to study its operation in quotidian real-life situations, should welcome The Social Life of Scriptures.

~Books and Culture