Yale University Press Blake and the Bible

All those beguiled by the work of William Blake recognise the importance of the Bible for his poetic genius, whether as an object of criticism, or an inspiration. This book, the first substantial study for sixty years, attempts to locate Blake within the broad spectrum of Christian biblical interpretation, orthodox, heterodox and radical. It explores the particular ways in which Blake engaged with the Bible and the distinctive interpretations that emerged, not least through the medium of images. Rowland considers Blake's series of engravings on the 'Book of Job', and his only commentary on a biblical book, to illuminate the distinctive features of the poet's exegesis. These include the priority given to the Spirit over the Letter; the critique of a theology which places supreme value on what is found in a book rather than attending to what Blake calls 'the Word of God Universal'; the advocacy of a religion of divine immediacy rather than transcendence; and, experience of suffering as the motor of theological and ethical change. This powerful and richly-illustrated work brings forty years of study to bear on one of the great interpreters of the Bible.