The Bible and the Literary Canon

The Bible is not only a sacred text, but also a foundational work of Western literature. In this lecture, Professor John Bowers of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, explores how the Bible influenced the development of the literary canon, which is the official list of works that every educated person should know. He examines the historical and cultural context of the biblical stories, the literary techniques and genres used by the biblical writers, and the ways that the Bible has been interpreted and adapted by later authors. He also discusses some of the controversies and debates that surround the Bible and the canon, such as the role of women, the diversity of sources, and the criteria for inclusion and exclusion. This lecture is part of a series called The Western Literary Canon in Context, which covers the most important and influential works of literature from ancient times to the present.