The Old Testament in Byzantium Edited by Paul Magdalino and Robert Nelson Although the many manifestations of Byzantine Christianity have been studied in great depth, the Bible itself, especially the Old Testament, has received relatively little attention. Yet reminiscences of the Old Testament are ubiquitous in Byzantine literature and art, and the Byzantine people revered and identified with Old Testament role models. To explore these religious, social, and political phenomena, the essays collected here examine the significance of the old Testament as text, cultural practice, and lived experience in the Byzantine Empire. The eleven chapters in this volume were first presented at a Dumbarton Oaks symposium in December 2006. The conference complemented an exhibition of early Bible manuscripts at the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur Sackler Gallery titled “In the Beginning: Bibles before the Year 1000.” contributors examine the manifestations of the holy books in such areas as Byzantine manuscript illustration, architecture, history, government, and religious life. Going beyond the borders of Christendom, other essays explore how the Old Testament connected Byzantium with Jewish and Muslim peoples.