Reading Phinehas, Watching Slashers

Horror Theory and Numbers 25

Inbunden, Engelska, 2018

1 669 kr

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The tale of the “zeal” of Phineas, expressed when he killed an Israelite man and a Midianite woman having sex and thus stopped a “plague” of consorting with idolatrous neighbors in the Israelite camp (Numbers 25), has long attracted both interest and revulsion. Scholars have sought to defend the account, to explain it as pious fiction, or to protest its horrific violence. Brandon R. Grafius seeks to understand how the tale expresses the latent anxieties of the Israelite society that produced it, combining the insights of historical criticism with those of contemporary horror and monster theory. Grafius compares Israelite anxieties concerning ethnic boundaries and community organization with similar anxieties apparent in horror films of the 1980s, then finds confirmation for his method in the responses of Roman-period readers who reacted to the tale of Phineas as a tale of horror. The combination of methods allows Grafius to illumine the concern of an ancient priestly class to control unsettled and unsettling community boundaries??and to raise questions of implications for our own time.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2018-03-20
Mått156 x 239 x 24 mm
Vikt522 g
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor228
FörlagBloomsbury Publishing Plc
ISBN9781978701205

Tillhör följande kategorier

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

In Reading Phinehas, Watching Slashers, Brandon R. Grafius enlists horror theory, especially analysis of the slasher film genre, to elucidate the account in Numbers 25 featuring Phinehas jointly spearing a Midianite woman and an Israelite man who seem to be engaged in sexual intercourse. Grafius contends this “rhetorical violence” is part of a priestly attempt to reinforce social boundaries within the ancient Israelite community (xiii). He explores this concept throughout five chapters of the monograph, followed by a brief conclusion.Overall, Grafius’ work is a success. It is well written and logically organized. It features a broad analytical approach, granting a satisfying balance between assessments of ancient texts and modern interpretive models. It is concise and yet it sufficiently highlights most of the relevant research on Numbers 25, horror theory, and slasher film analysis. Moreover, the connections between horror theory and religion are numerous and underexplored. As such, this book is a welcome attempt to bridge that gap.

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The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Monsters

Brandon R. Grafius, John W. Morehead, Detroit) Grafius, Brandon R. (Associate Professor of Biblical Studies and Academic Dean, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies and Academic Dean, Ecumenical Theological Seminary, Multnomah Campus of Jessup University) Morehead, John W. (Adjunct Instructor in New and World Religions, Adjunct Instructor in New and World Religions, Brandon R Grafius, John W Morehead

Inbunden

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