Del i serien Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies

"On Her Account"

Reconfiguring Israel in Ruth, Esther, and Judith

Häftad, Engelska, 2018

AvAnne-Mareike Wetter,Laura Quick

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Anne-Mareike Wetter investigates how the books of Ruth, Esther and Judith contribute to the discussion about Israel’s ethnic and religious identity in the formative period following the Babylonian Exile. Although each of these narratives deals with variations of the theme of survival in a hostile world, the question underlying them is a different one: “Who are we, and who is our ‘other’?” The narratives are presented as sequels to Israel’s history as put forward in other (now biblical) texts, and presuppose God’s continuing involvement with his people. However, they subtly modify the way in which Israel can or should relate to her God by suggesting alternatives for official Temple worship or bypassing the latter altogether. While older prophetic texts make use of metaphoric language portraying Israel as YHWH’s unfaithful wife, grieving widow, or ravaged virgin, Ruth, Esther and Judith can be construed as embodiments of Israel of a different kind. Wetter argues for a revisioning of Israel in and through the bodies of the three female characters, as a community which is simultaneously vulnerable and inviolable, marginalized and empowered. Their tricksterism, in all its comicality, underlines the precarious situation in which the women and the community they represent are caught. Yet it also has the power to both defeat threats from outside and amend Israel’s self-perception on the inside. Israel no longer has to perceive of itself as a battered wife but as one who can deploy her qualities – seductive and otherwise – for the survival of the community.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2018-07-26
Mått156 x 234 x undefined mm
Vikt431 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
SerieLibrary of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies
Antal sidor304
FörlagBloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN9780567683670

Tillhör följande kategorier

Religion: allmänt inom Filosofi och religion
Biblar inom Filosofi och religion
Kristendom inom Filosofi och religion

Acknowledgments AbbreviationsPart 1: 'Israel,’ ‘Judah,’ ‘Yehudim’ – The Problem of Definition and Demarcation 1 (Re-)Constructing Israel: Tradition and Invention 2 Judaism? 3 Religion – A Provisional Definition 4 Ethnicity – A Provisional Definition Part 2: Methodology and the Power of Form1 Text and Identity – Historical Discourse Analysis 2 Text and Cognition - Cognitive Linguistics3 Embodying Israel – Tradition and Invention Part 3: Ruth 1 Religious Identity in Ruth 2 Ethnic Identity in Ruth 3 Gender Identity in Ruth 4 Conclusions - Embodying Israel in the Book of Ruth Part 4: Esther 1 Religious Identity in Esther 2 Ethnic Identity in Esther 3 Gender Identity in Esther 4 Conclusions – Embodying Israel in the Book of Esther Part 4: Judith1 Religious Identity in Judith 2 Ethnic Identity in Judith 3 Gender Identity in Judith 4 Conclusions: Embodying Israel in the Book of Judith Part 5: Conclusions: Of Israelites, Women, and Other Strangers 1. Imagining Israel – Embodying Israel 2. Common Ground and Common Sense 3. Ecce Femina BibliographyIndex

This is a timely book that continues current trends concerning the portrayal of identity in the biblical texts and takes these conversations further. ... This volume draws on up to date scholarship in a recognizable way while offering keen insights that push the fields of these three texts into some unexpected waters. ... [A]ny researcher or reader of Ruth, Esther of Judith studies, as well as those with a broader interest in biblical intertextuality, will find this to be a valuable and engaging book.