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8
Introduction
the1970s,1980sand1990s.Respondingtothelatetwentieth-centurychallenges
posedbyTatcherism,Women’sLiberationMovementandtheRushdieafair,
BritishfictionalrevisionsoftheBiblenotonlyexamineandchallengetheexist-
ingmythicaldimensionofthediscoursesofnationalidentity,women’scoopera-
tionorliberaldemocracy,butalsoattempttooferdiferent,moreopportune
rearticulationsofideaswhichusedtobeshapedbytheProtestantinterpretation
oftheBible.
Tocapturethecharacteroftheserearticulationsandtoconceptualizethe
waysinwhichcontemporaryBritishbiblicalrewritingsoperate,thisstudyin-
troducestheconceptoftheechoingmyth,whichcanbedefinedasaweakform
ofmyth-amodifiedversionoftheonce-powerfulanddominantmyth,whose
normativefunctionhasbeennotsomuchlostasbelittled,whoseelementsare
opentomultiplereinterpretationsandwhosemeaningsareprovisional.Com-
paredtothestrongform,theechoingmythhassmallerculturalimportance,
andits(diminished)significanceispredicatedonthecriticalreflectionon(and
therevealingtransformationsof)theauthoritativeforms.Tisenfeebledstatus
-amereechooftheformerprestige-allowstheechoingmythtoadjustthe
refurbishedformoftheChristianBibletothechallengesinBritishculture,tore-
interpretbiblicalmythsinthechangingculturalcontext,andtoallowthevoice
oftheBibletobestillheard.Onecansaythatintheformoftheechoingmyth,
theBiblespeakstodayinthe“stillsmallvoice”or“gentlewhisper”,aphrase
thatcomesfromawell-knownnarrativefromtheHebrewBible,astoryofthe
prophetElijahandhisencounterwithGod.Admittedly,asastoryofthesacred
returninginaremarkablyfragileform,astoryofGodreappearinginaweak
manner,thisbiblicalnarrativeitselfcanserveasametaphoricalillustrationof
whattheechoingmythis.
In1Kings19:8-12,thereisastoryoftheprophetElijahandofthecurious
divineepiphanyonMountHoreb.Strengthenedbyanangel-proferedmeal,
Elijahwalkstothemountainforfortydaysandnights,andwhenalreadythere,
heisquestionedbyGodastothereasonsofhispresenceattheholyplace.Elijah
explainsthatheseeksshelteragainstIsraelites,whoareunfaithfultoGod’s
commandsandwhowanttokillhim.Whatfollowsisamemorableandquite
ambiguousrevelationofGodinfrontofElijah:“And,behold,theLordpassed
by,andagreatandstrongwindrentthemountains,andbrokeinpiecesthe
rocksbeforetheLord;buttheLordwasnotinthewind:andaferthewindan
earthquake;buttheLordwasnotintheearthquake:andafertheearthquake
afire;buttheLordwasnotinthefire:andaferthefireastillsmallvoice”
(1Kings19:11-12).Tenotablephrase“astillsmallvoice”,whichisatranslation
ofanenigmatic,oxymoronicHebrewphrase“avoiceofthinsilence”,ismeantto
representGodandtomarkhistruemanifestation.AsStephenPrickettobserves,
however,therevelationofGod’spresenceisnotsomuchconfinedtothe“still
smallvoice”,asplayedoutinthetensionbetweenthedisplayofpowerthrough
