The Bible as Theatre [Paperback]

Although the Old Testament has been thoroughly analyzed as liternaure, and many oif its highly dramatic chapters, stories, poetry and prophecies have been adapted for theatre, the Bible as Theatre has hardly been handled. As a threshold-medium, ancient theatre hovered between the holy and the profane. The hostility the Hebrews expressed toward the indecencies of theatre was the result of religious, cultural and economic oppression they suffered from Greeks, Romans and other peoples whose theatre was well developed. This book shows that the real fear the ancient Hebrews felt was not of the gaudy aspects of theatre but of its highly creative potential as a reval Creator. This work is dedicated to the theatrical potential of the Old Testament, exposing a refined sense of theatricality.