<<Noli me tangere>> in Interdisciplinary Perspective

Noli me tangere in Interdisciplinary Perspective: Textual,
Iconographic and Contemporary Interpretations is a collection of 23
essays by an international group of contributors on one of the Bible's
most influential iconic expressions. The prohibition expressed by the
risen Jesus in John 20,17 has influenced Western culture in its Latin
rendering as Noli me tangere. As such it became well-known in the
visual arts and in literature. The Noli me tangere influenced
philosophy and theology, theoretical discussion and practical action.
This book's interdisciplinary character is reflected in the fact that it
is subdivided into three parts which are of more or less equal length
(see I. The Biblical Text and Its Textual Interpretation; II. The
Biblical Text and Its Iconographic Interpretation; and III. The Biblical
Text and Its Contemporary Interpretation).
In its inter- and
intra-disciplinary breadth this book could be seen as a window, a mirror
and an icon. As a window, it opens up a perspective on the rich cultural
and academic Wirkungsgeschichte the words of the Johannine Jesus
in John 20:17, in particular in their Latin translation as Noli me
tangere, have had. In this way it also documents a phase in the
study of the subject. As a mirror, this book challenges the academic
disciplines and in particular the scholars themselves by confronting
them with their own social and historical location and the way this
influences their own research. As an icon, this collection points beyond
itself and reminds us that scholarship is not an island, but that in
ever so implicit and indirect ways it is part of the human dream for a
better world. This book is a witness to the ongoing ways in which the
Noli me tangere in its Johannine context and beyond continues to
create new meaning.