Abstract. S. Brent Plate's introductory essay orients the reader to the academic move toward material text studies, a wide range of research questions and pedagogical practices that includes attention to the history of the book, book technologies, the social habits of readership especially in relation to print culture, and issues raised in media studies about differences in verbal communication.

To elucidate some of the origins of what Martin Marty has called “America’s Iconic Book,” this article analyzes early Christian rituals in which the Bible functions as an icon, that is, as a material object that invokes the presence of the divine. After an introductory discussion of icons, it shows that early Christian communal rituals of Gospel procession and display as well as popular and private ritual uses of scripture as a miracle-working object parallel the uses and functions of Orthodox portrait icons while circumventing issues of idolatry. Examples come from a survey of early Christian liturgies, conciliar and legal records, the physical appearance of Bibles and Gospel books, the representations of books in art, and written arguments from the iconoclastic controversies of the eighth and ninth centuries.

Christian iconic texts are easily recognizable books and images that signify Christian scripture. From the earliest forms of Christianity until the present day, Christians have used their iconic texts, such as Bibles and Gospel books, in rituals such as processions and displays that create and maintain the legitimacy of the tradition and its adherents. Related to the incarnational theology of God’s Word, early Christian rituals often claimed to make Christ present in ritual spaces, so that Bibles operated as icons. After the Reformation and Protestants’ denials of most objects and images for worship, the Bible became the primary ritual object and image for Christian salvation. It is this ritual dimension of scripture that adds value, meaning, and power to the text when it is read or performed.

Miniature books, handwritten or printed books in the smallest format, have fascinated religious people, printers, publishers, collectors, readers, and others throughout the centuries because of their unique physical features, and continue to do so today. The small lettering and the delicate pages, binding, and covers highlight the material form of texts and invite sensory engagement and appreciation. This thematic issue of Postscripts: The Journal of Sacred Texts and Contemporary Worlds addresses miniature books with focus on religious books considered sacred in Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist traditions. The volume is a result of the interdisciplinary workshop "Miniature Books: Production, Print, and Practice" that was held at Linnaeus University in Sweden during October 2016 and included researchers working in religious studies, book history, and art history. The aim of the workshop was to discuss empirical and theoretical issues related to the production, use, and material properties of miniature books in historical and contemporary contexts by starting from a perspective that combined religious studies with book history and explored how religious interests intersect with technological developments. The discussions from the 2016 workshop and the articles collected in this volume reflect new perspectives on miniature religious books because until now, most of the available literature on miniatures has been written by book collectors. These collectors have contributed significantly to the understanding of the field with inventories of library holdings and catalogs of miniature books that identify and trace the histories of specific editions and present technical details of the books' physical formats (see for example: Adomeit 1980; Bromer and Edison 2007; Spielmann 1961; Welsh 1989). When discussing possible uses of miniature books, collectors have emphasized the practical function of texts that take up little space and can easily travel, lest we think that they exist only for humans' fascination with and appreciation for the craftsmanship required to produce tiny books (see for example:

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