The Old Testament in Medieval Icelandic Texts: Translation, Exegesis and Storytelling

This book explores the comparison between biblical narrative and saga narrative, demonstrating how the likeness between these two literatures has shaped the reception of the Old Testament in medieval Iceland. It draws on a wide variety of texts to show how medieval Icelanders engaged with Old Testament narrative in the light of their own vernacular tradition of storytelling, arguing that they understood and recognised in these stories a narrative art that was strikingly akin to their own.

Format: Hardback
Length: 312 pages
Publication date: 05 March 2024
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd

The comparison between the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible and Icelandic saga literature is fascinating, as both are deeply invested in origins, genealogy, place-names, family history, sibling rivalry, conflict, and its resolution. However, this comparison is rarely made, and biblical translations in Old Norse-Icelandic have been overlooked as a significant area of literary study. This book aims to rectify this neglect by exploring how the similarities between biblical and saga narratives have influenced the reception of the Old Testament in medieval Iceland.

Drawing on a diverse range of texts, including homilies, saints' lives, world histories, encyclopaedic works, and the biblical translations collectively known as Stjórn, the book demonstrates how medieval Icelanders engaged with Old Testament narrative in the context of their own vernacular tradition of storytelling. It argues that the medieval Icelanders recognized and understood these well-known biblical stories as a narrative art that was strikingly akin to their own.

The book explores how the likeness between biblical and saga narratives shaped the reception of the Old Testament in medieval Iceland. It highlights the ways in which medieval Icelanders interpreted and understood the biblical stories in their own cultural and linguistic context. It also examines the influence of the Icelandic sagas on biblical translations and exegesis in medieval Iceland.

The book argues that the medieval Icelanders recognized and understood the biblical stories as a narrative art that was strikingly akin to their own. They saw the biblical stories as a means of conveying moral and ethical principles, as well as a source of inspiration for their own storytelling. The book also suggests that the medieval Icelanders were able to adapt and translate the biblical stories to their own language and culture in a way that preserved their essence and meaning.

In conclusion, this book provides a valuable contribution to the study of biblical translation and adaptation in medieval Iceland. It demonstrates the essential nature of biblical translation and adaptation to Old-Norse-Icelandic literature and highlights the ways in which the similarities between biblical and saga narratives have influenced the reception of the Old Testament in medieval Iceland. The book will be of interest to scholars of medieval literature, religious studies, and history, as well as anyone with an interest in the intersection of religion and culture.

Weight: 1g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781843847120