Read more
The Oxford Handbook of Christmas provides a comprehensive account of all aspects of Christmas across the globe, from the specifically religious to the purely cultural. Contributions by experts from across numerous disciplines cover a range of topics, such as decorating trees, carols, cinema, the Nativity, and the influence of consumerism.
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
- 45: Gerry Bowler: Culture Wars
- Epilogue: The Many True Meanings of Christmas
About the author
Professor Timothy Larsen is McManis Professor of Christian Thought, Wheaton College; an Honorary Fellow, School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh; and an Honorary Research Fellow, University of Wales Trinity Saint David. He has been a Visiting Fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge, All Souls College, Oxford, and Christ Church, Oxford. His books include
Crisis of Doubt: Honest Faith in Nineteenth-Century England (OUP 2006);
A People of One Book: The Bible and the Victorians (OUP 2011);
The Slain God: Anthropologists and the Christian Faith (OUP 2014); and
John Stuart Mill: A Secular Life (OUP 2018).
Summary
The Oxford Handbook of Christmas provides a comprehensive account of all aspects of Christmas across the globe, from the specifically religious to the purely cultural. Contributions by experts from across numerous disciplines cover a range of topics, such as decorating trees, carols, cinema, the Nativity, and the influence of consumerism.
Additional text
Timothy Larsen has put together a very readable collection, ideal for dipping into, full of fascination.
