Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Excessively reverent towards the Bible; characterized by Bible-worship: The word describes an attitude or practice of treating the Bible with an extreme, uncritical, or idolatrous reverence, often to the point of attributing to it a status or authority that is considered excessive or misplaced.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • His bibliolatrous devotion led him to reject any scientific finding that seemed to contradict a literal reading of Genesis.
  • The scholar criticized the bibliolatrous tendency to treat every word of the scripture as a direct, inerrant command, ignoring its historical and cultural context.

Advanced Usage

• "bibliolatrous attitude": An uncritically worshipful stance toward the Bible.

  • The movement was marked by a bibliolatrous attitude that discouraged any form of textual criticism.

• "bibliolatrous interpretation": An approach to understanding the Bible that refuses to consider it as a human document.

  • Her bibliolatrous interpretation left no room for metaphorical or allegorical readings.

Variants and Related Words

• Bibliolatry (n): The worship of the Bible; the practice or ideology of excessive reverence for the Bible.

  • Bibliolatry is sometimes contrasted with a more nuanced, scholarly approach to sacred texts.

• Bibliolater (n): A person who engages in bibliolatry; a worshipper of the Bible.

  • He was accused of being a bibliolater for his rigid adherence to the letter of the text.

Synonyms

• Scripturalist: One who adheres strictly to the scriptures.
• Literalist: One who interprets words in their most basic, literal sense without regard for metaphor or allegory (especially in a religious context).

Related Phrases

• To engage in bibliolatry: To practice Bible-worship.
  • Some fundamentalist groups are accused of engaging in bibliolatry.

Related Concepts

• Idolatry: The worship of idols. "Bibliolatry" is a specific form of idolatry applied to a book.
• Textual idolatry: A similar concept, referring to the worship of any text as infallible.

Adjective

1. given to Bible-worship