Research Guides: FYS 23A: The Bible and Contemporary Arts, Literature, and Film: Exploring topics

Creative Arts Librarian

she/her/hers

Contact:

lzeidenb@brandeis.edu

781-736-4697

Subjects: Art, Architecture and Photography, Asian Studies and Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies, Classical and Early Mediterranean Studies, Film Studies, First Year Writing (FYS and CSEM) , Germanic and Slavic Languages, Music, Theater and Dance

A Dictionary of Biblical Tradition in English Literature by David Lyle Jeffrey (Editor)
Publication Date: 1992-11-01

"Explains biblical motifs, names, and allusions that are frequently used in English literature, and provides examples for each item." This is a good source for finding literature (including poems) related to specific bilical figures and passages. Each entry is presented chronologically, so look toward the end of the entry for more recent works.

Both of these resources include images, but they have value beyond image discovery.

Tali Visual Midrash
Choose from Topics; can narrow by date (Year). Note Artist pages and topical essays (Articles), which often show works of art chronologically. Note llnks to biblical passages, and article source lists. A great place to start exploring art work that relates to specific biblical passages.
Bezalel Narkiss Index of Jewish Art and Material Culture: Browse by Iconographical Subject
Another site where you can explore images of art works that relate to specific biblical events.

For Film:

For Music:

The Bible in music: a dictionary of songs, works, and more by Siobhán Dowling Long; John F. A. Sawyer
Publication Date: 2015-07-01

Note Lists of Authors, Composers, and Musicians and Indexes (Biblical Names and Subjects; Biblical References). Content isn't limited to the Hebrew Bible, nor is it limited to contemporary music.

Old Testament Figures in Art by Chiara De Capoa; Stefano Zuffi (Editor); Thomas Michael Hartmann (Translator)
Call Number: Creative Arts Reference N8020 .D4 2003

Despite its outdated title, this is still a very good resource for establishing context regarding artistic approaches to biblical themes and the conversations modern artists are having with their predecessors.
How to Read Bible Stories and Myths in Art by Patrick De Rynck
Publication Date: 2009-03-01

View online at Internet Archive -- register for a free online account to borrow it for an hour at a time.
Iconographic Index to Old Testament Subjects Represented in Photographs and Slides of Paintings in the Visual Collections, Fine Arts Library, Harvard University by Helen E. Roberts
Publication Date: 1987

This book is of limited use for this class, being an index only, mainly focused on art created before 1900.
View online at Internet Archive -- register for a free online account to borrow it for an hour at a time.