The Bible within Ancient and Modern Cultures

Dear Colleagues,

This issue of the journal Religions, per this proposal, would investigate how canonical Bible (Old or New Testament) texts addressed social, economic, political, or other aspects of human cultures in their ancient context. The scholar would then propose how those historical messages intended for ancient audiences may continue to speak to modern readers in cultural circumstances today. Supposing D. Ottati was correct four decades ago (“Christian Theology and Other Disciplines,” Journal of Religion 64[1984]: 173–87) in asserting that the "increase of scientific knowledge makes it necessary to say how theological reflection relates to the findings of other disciplines," then how much more applicable must that be in a contemporary context?

Contributors to this journal issue may focus their investigation on a single book of the Bible or a genre within the Bible (e.g., historical narratives; prophetic literature, legal/ceremonial texts, wisdom literature, gospels or acts, Pauline and other epistles, and apocalyptic literature); alternatively, they may select theme-subjects from biblical literature that they interconnect with current disciplines and applications, such as social analysis, economic reform and development, education, and counseling. In these papers, the scholar must draw a triangle of compelling connections between biblical material, ancient societies, and the modern world.

We request that, before submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 400–600 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the guest editor ([email protected]) or to the /Religions/ editorial office ([email protected]). Abstracts will be reviewed by the guest editor for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

Best Regards,

Prof. Dr. Jonathan M. Watt
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• biblical studies
• historical & cultural relevance
• theology
• counseling
• cross-disciplinary