From Bob Dylan to U2, Paul Gambaccini explores pop songs inspired by the Bible.

As the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible draws to a close, Paul picks out some of the hundreds of pop songs that have been inspired by the Old and New Testaments.

The star names include Elvis Presley (Adam and Evil), Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice (Joseph and Jesus Christ, Superstar), The Byrds (Turn! Turn! Turn!), Leonard Cohen (Hallelujah), and U2 (40 and Yahweh).

Paul talks to Tim Rice about his early schooling which gave him an intimate knowledge of Bible stories and led to Jesus Christ, Superstar.

Diana Lipton, an Old Testament scholar, shows how popular song treatments refresh ancient stories, setting them in a different context, citing Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited and Tom Jones's Delilah.

And rock critic Neil McCormick points to the close connection between Bono and his religious upbringing.

Presenter/Paul Gambaccini, Producer/Richard Bannerman for Ladbroke Productions

BBC Radio 4 Publicity