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The Oxford Handbook of Christmas provides a comprehensive, interdisciplinary account of all aspects of Christmas across the globe, from the specifically religious to the purely cultural. The contributions are drawn from a distinguished group of international experts from across numerous disciplines, including literary scholars, theologians, historians, biblical scholars, sociologists, anthropologists, art historians, and legal experts. The volume provides authoritative treatments of a range of topics, from the origins of Christmas to the present; decorating trees to eating plum pudding; from the Bible to contemporary worship; from carols to cinema; from the Nativity Story to Santa Claus; from Bethlehem to Japan; from Catholics to Baptists; from secularism to consumerism. Christmas is the biggest celebration on the planet. Every year, a significant percentage of the world's population is draw to this holiday--from Cape Cod to Cape Town, from South America to South Korea, and on and on across the globe. The Christmas season takes up a significant part of the entire year. For many countries, the holiday is a major force in their national economy. Moreover, Christmas is not just a modern holiday, but has been an important feast for most Christians since the fourth century and a dominant event in many cultures and countries for over a millennium. The Oxford Handbook of Christmas provides an invaluable reference point for anyone interested in this global phenomenon.
List of contents
- Part I: History
- 1: Paul F. Bradshaw: The Dating of Christmas: The Early Church
- 2: Kati Ihnat: The Middle Ages
- 3: Katrina Jennie-Lou Wheeler: The Reformation and Early Modern Periods
- 4: Timothy Larsen: The Nineteenth Century
- 5: Christopher Ferguson: The Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries
- Part II: Theology
- 6: John Barton: The Old Testament
- 7: Markus Bockmuehl and Evangeline Kozitza: The New Testament
- 8: Katherine Sonderegger: Jesus Christ and the Incarnation
- 9: Katherine G. Schmidt: The Blessed Virgin Mary and the Virgin Birth
- Part III: Worshipping Communities
- 10: Anne McGowan: Roman Catholicism
- 11: Mary B. Cunningham: Eastern Orthodoxy
- 12: Kirsi Stjerna: Lutheranism
- 13: Martyn Percy: Anglicanism
- 14: Andrew R. Holmes: Reformed and Dissenting Protestants
- Part IV: The Nativity Story
- 15: Holly Taylor Coolman: The Holy Family
- 16: David Lyle Jeffrey: Gabriel and the Angels
- 17: Leroy A. Huizenga: Bethlehem and the Census
- 18: D. H. Williams: The Magi and the Star
- 19: Jody Vaccaro Lewis: The Inn, the Manger, the Swaddling Clothes, the Shepherds, and the Animals
- Part V: Traditions
- 20: Daniel Gifford: The Winter Solstice and other Celebrations of the Season
- 21: Adam C. English: St Nicholas to Santa Claus
- 22: David Bertaina: Trees and Decorations
- 23: Ellen M. Litwicki: Gifts and Charity
- 24: Marcia J. Bunge: Children and Childhood
- 25: Paul Freedman: Food and Drink
- Part VI: The Arts
- 26: Tova Leigh-Choate: Carols and Music to 1900
- 27: Todd Decker: Carols and Music since 1900
- 28: Barbara von Barghahn: Paintings
- 29: Frances Clemson: Plays
- 30: Emma Mason: Poetry
- 31: Natalie McKnight: Fiction
- 32: Mark Connelly: Film and Television
- Part VII: Around the World
- 33: Elizabeth Monier: Bethlehem and the Middle East
- 34: Nadine Cretin: Catholic Europe
- 35: Joe Perry: Germany and Scandinavia
- 36: Francesca Silano: Russia
- 37: Martin Johnes: The United Kingdom
- 38: Daniel Vaca: The United States
- 39: Joel Cabrita: Africa
- 40: Joseph Tse-Hei Lee: Asia
- 41: David Thomas Orique, O.P.: Latin America and the Caribbean
- Part VIII: The State and Society
- 42: Richard W. Garnett and Jackson Blais: Public Holidays and the Law
- 43: John Schmalzbauer: Commercialism and Consumerism
- 44: David Nash: Secularity
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Report
The Handbook is scrupulous in covering the views of all the main Christian traditions and perspectives, and Orthodox perspectives receive admirably balanced coverage throughout the work. There are a couple of curious examples in which traditions are treated slightly less thoroughly than might seem warranted. Philip Jenkins, Fides et Historia
