Bibliolatry information

Bibliolatry (from the Greek βιβλίον biblion, 'book' and the suffix -λατρία -latria, 'worship')^[1]^[2] is the worship of a book, idolatrous homage to a book, or the deifying of a book.^[3]^[4]^[5] It is a form of idolatry.^[4] The sacred texts of some religions disallow icon worship, but over time the texts themselves are treated as sacred the way idols are, and believers may end up effectively worshipping the book.^[6] Bibliolatry extends claims of inerrancy—hence perfection—to the texts, precluding theological innovation, evolving development, or progress.^[6]^[7] Bibliolatry can lead to revivalism, disallows re-probation, and can lead to persecution of unpopular doctrines.^[7]

Historically, Christianity has never endorsed worship of the Bible, reserving worship for God. Some Christians believe that biblical authority derives from God as the inspiration of the text, not from the text itself.^[8] The term bibliolatry does not refer to a recognized belief, but theological discussion may use the word pejoratively to label the perceived practices of opponents.^[9] Opponents may apply the term bibliolatry to groups such as Protestants of a fundamentalist and evangelical background, such as the King James Only movement, who espouse biblical inerrancy and a sola scriptura approach (scripture as the only divine authority).^[10]

^ "bibliolatry". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.
^ Eric Ziolkowski (2017). A Handbook of Biblical Reception in Jewish, European Christian, and Islamic Folklores. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. pp. 5150–. ISBN 978-3-11-038868-8.
^ David Norton (2000). A History of the English Bible as Literature. Cambridge University Press. pp. 299–306. ISBN 978-0-521-77807-7.
^ ^a ^b William H. Brackney; Craig A. Evans (2007). From Biblical Criticism to Biblical Faith: Essays in Honor of Lee Martin McDonald. Mercer University Press. p. 318. ISBN 978-0-88146-052-0. Worship of a book is condemned by scriptures cherished by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. As Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) pointed out, 'Biblioloatry is a form of idolatry.'
^ Kent Eaton (2015). Protestant Missionaries in Spain, 1869–1936. Lexington Books. pp. 96–97. ISBN 978-0-7391-9411-9.
^ ^a ^b "12 worst ideas religion has unleashed on the world: Conflict, cruelty and suffering -- not love and peace". Salon. 2015-05-19. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
^ ^a ^b Berrow, James Hughes (1862). Bibliolatry.
^ Alexander, T. Desmond; Brian S Rosner (2020). New Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Leicester: Inter-Varsity. ISBN 9781789740400. Biblical authority is derived from the authority of its divine author and from its content as God's word about Christ. The book is not inherently divine and bibliolatry has never been an acceptable option for Christians.
^ For example: Thuesen, Peter J. (16 December 1999). "The Blood of the Martyr: History, Hagiography, and the consecration of the English Bible". In Discordance with the Scriptures: American Protestant Battles Over Translating the Bible. Religion in America. New York: Oxford University Press (published 1999). p. 30. ISBN 9780195351941. Retrieved 13 June 2020. Nearly all American Protestants internalized in some way the Puritan glorification of word over image, although what once was a native command of biblical language often degenerated into a mere bibliolatry. And this bibliolatry, while taking a variety of forms, usually included an implicit (or explicit) anti-Catholicism.
^ Parent, Mark (1996). "The Irony of Fundamentalism: T. T. Shields and the Person of Christ". In Priestley, David T. (ed.). Memory and Hope: Strands of Canadian Baptist History. Editions SR. Vol. 19. Waterloo, Ontario: Wilfrid Laurier University Press (published 2006). p. 192. ISBN 9780889206427. Retrieved 13 June 2020. [...] the charge of 'bibliolatry' with which fundamentalism has been so often accused. [...] bibliolatry [...] has been the charge attached to various Protestants from the Reformation onward. The slogan 'the bible and the bible only is the religion of Protestants' [...] has led many to conclude that certain elements within Protestantism, if not all of it, fell into unhealthy veneration and use of the Scriptures. It is an accusation which has been levelled more recently against the fundamentalists.

[1] "bibliolatry". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.

[2] Eric Ziolkowski (2017). A Handbook of Biblical Reception in Jewish, European Christian, and Islamic Folklores. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. pp. 5150–. ISBN 978-3-11-038868-8.

[Norton2000p299-3] David Norton (2000). A History of the English Bible as Literature. Cambridge University Press. pp. 299–306. ISBN 978-0-521-77807-7.

[BrackneyEvans2007p318-4] William H. Brackney; Craig A. Evans (2007). From Biblical Criticism to Biblical Faith: Essays in Honor of Lee Martin McDonald. Mercer University Press. p. 318. ISBN 978-0-88146-052-0. Worship of a book is condemned by scriptures cherished by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. As Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) pointed out, 'Biblioloatry is a form of idolatry.'

[5] Kent Eaton (2015). Protestant Missionaries in Spain, 1869–1936. Lexington Books. pp. 96–97. ISBN 978-0-7391-9411-9.

[:0-6] "12 worst ideas religion has unleashed on the world: Conflict, cruelty and suffering -- not love and peace". Salon. 2015-05-19. Retrieved 2020-09-15.

[:1-7] Berrow, James Hughes (1862). Bibliolatry.

[8] Alexander, T. Desmond; Brian S Rosner (2020). New Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Leicester: Inter-Varsity. ISBN 9781789740400. Biblical authority is derived from the authority of its divine author and from its content as God's word about Christ. The book is not inherently divine and bibliolatry has never been an acceptable option for Christians.

[9] For example: Thuesen, Peter J. (16 December 1999). "The Blood of the Martyr: History, Hagiography, and the consecration of the English Bible". In Discordance with the Scriptures: American Protestant Battles Over Translating the Bible. Religion in America. New York: Oxford University Press (published 1999). p. 30. ISBN 9780195351941. Retrieved 13 June 2020. Nearly all American Protestants internalized in some way the Puritan glorification of word over image, although what once was a native command of biblical language often degenerated into a mere bibliolatry. And this bibliolatry, while taking a variety of forms, usually included an implicit (or explicit) anti-Catholicism.

[10] Parent, Mark (1996). "The Irony of Fundamentalism: T. T. Shields and the Person of Christ". In Priestley, David T. (ed.). Memory and Hope: Strands of Canadian Baptist History. Editions SR. Vol. 19. Waterloo, Ontario: Wilfrid Laurier University Press (published 2006). p. 192. ISBN 9780889206427. Retrieved 13 June 2020. [...] the charge of 'bibliolatry' with which fundamentalism has been so often accused. [...] bibliolatry [...] has been the charge attached to various Protestants from the Reformation onward. The slogan 'the bible and the bible only is the religion of Protestants' [...] has led many to conclude that certain elements within Protestantism, if not all of it, fell into unhealthy veneration and use of the Scriptures. It is an accusation which has been levelled more recently against the fundamentalists.

Bibliolatry information

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