Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer – författare

Bibeln innehåller hundratals berättelser. De skildrar hur Gud vandrar med sitt folk genom tider av krig och fred, välstånd och nöd, och de vittnar om hur människorna i Israel agerar mot varandra. Dessa berättelser väcker känslor i oss: vi fascineras av olika människoöden, vi förfäras av prövningar de genomlider och vi gläds med dem när saker går väl. Vissa bibelpersoner väcker intuitivt vår empati och vi hejar på dem i med och motgång, medan andra förblir främlingar som vi inte riktigt kommer nära.

Denna bok hjälper oss att lära känna nio personer i Gamla testamentet bättre: Noa, Sara, Josef, Rut, Noomi, Saul, Jonatan, Mikal och Jona. I dialog med judiska, kristna och sekulära romaner, dikter och teaterstycken visar Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer hur vi kan nå en djupare förståelse för Bibelns berättelser. Dessa litterära verk belyser, ifrågasätter och utmanar texter som vi kanske läst flera gånger förut. De hjälper oss att bli mer nyanserade bibelläsare, få en berikad förståelse av Bibeln och helt enkelt njuta av privilegiet att få träda in i bibelberättelsernas annorlunda värld.

Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer är professor i Gamla testamentets exegetik vid Akademi för ledarskap och teologi i Örebro och affilierad forskare vid fakulteten för teologi och religion, University of Pretoria i Sydafrika. Hon är utbildad vid Hebreiska Universitetet i Jerusalem och Oxfords universitet. Tiemeyer har skrivit många böcker om den profetiska litteraturen i Gamla testamentet (Jesaja, Jona och Sakarja). Hennes nuvarande forskningsfokus är Samuelsböckerna och Bibeln i modern litteratur. Hon är även ansvarig för flera akademiska tidskrifter och monografiserier samt en flitigt anlitad föreläsare världen över.

This book discusses 20th- and 21st-centuries’ literary retellings of biblical texts, focusing on how fiction and poetry fill the extant narrative gaps present in the often-sparse biblical accounts and align the narratives with theological and/or cultural expectations of modern interpreting communities.

The chapters, written by an international group of scholars, explore biblical retellings in a variety of modern languages, ranging from Korean and Chinese to Hebrew and Arabic. Most of the contributions deal with retellings of the narrative books (Genesis, Exodus, Judges, Ruth, 1–2 Samuel, Daniel), but a few are devoted to prophetic (Hosea) and poetic (Psalms) ones. Another set of articles looks beyond specific biblical books and instead analyses how the Bible has been retold in different literary genres (Children and YA literature, sci-fi and fantasy, Christian Inspiration fiction) and in modern political discourse (North and South Korea). All the chapters further highlight how literary retellings of the Bible form two-way movements. They reveal the often-subversive quality of literary retellings: retellings not only emphasise those nuances in the biblical texts that create unease but also problematise their standpoint and question their moral and theological message.

The Hebrew Bible in Contemporary Fiction and Poetry is suitable for students and scholars of biblical studies working on intertextuality and reception history. It is also of interest to those working on comparative literature, particularly with regards to the Hebrew Bible in popular culture and literature.

This book discusses 20th- and 21st-centuries’ literary retellings of biblical texts, focusing on how fiction and poetry fill the extant narrative gaps present in the often-sparse biblical accounts and align the narratives with theological and/or cultural expectations of modern interpreting communities.

The chapters, written by an international group of scholars, explore biblical retellings in a variety of modern languages, ranging from Korean and Chinese to Hebrew and Arabic. Most of the contributions deal with retellings of the narrative books (Genesis, Exodus, Judges, Ruth, 1–2 Samuel, Daniel), but a few are devoted to prophetic (Hosea) and poetic (Psalms) ones. Another set of articles looks beyond specific biblical books and instead analyses how the Bible has been retold in different literary genres (Children and YA literature, sci-fi and fantasy, Christian Inspiration fiction) and in modern political discourse (North and South Korea). All the chapters further highlight how literary retellings of the Bible form two-way movements. They reveal the often-subversive quality of literary retellings: retellings not only emphasise those nuances in the biblical texts that create unease but also problematise their standpoint and question their moral and theological message.

The Hebrew Bible in Contemporary Fiction and Poetry is suitable for students and scholars of biblical studies working on intertextuality and reception history. It is also of interest to those working on comparative literature, particularly with regards to the Hebrew Bible in popular culture and literature.

A meticulous exploration of the reception history of Jonah in all its facets

Jonah through the Centuries is a systematic examination of the reception history of the book of Jonah, long-recognized for its numerous theological implications and diverse interpretations. The first book of its kind written in English, this singular volume provides a lucid and coherent commentary on the most influential re-readings of Jonah in Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and secular traditions. Author Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer progresses slowly through the book of Jonah verse-by-verse—even word-by-word through key verses such as Jonah 1:1 and 2:1—to offer readers deep insight into the many and multifaceted interpretations of Jonah from early Jewish readings to modern literary retellings.

Structured thematically rather than strictly chronologically, the text begins with the earliest interpretation and follows its trendline all the way through to modern times before turning to the next-oldest interpretation. The commentary covers a broad range of retellings in many languages and in various media including commentaries, sermons, prose, poetry, theatrical drama, art, and music. Throughout the text, the author demonstrates how all these retellings ultimately originate within the biblical text itself and highlights how many of the interpretations are fueled and influenced by the interpreter''s religious background, cultural assumptions, and their preconceived notions of what the text should say.

Jonah through the Centuries is an invaluable resource for educated clergy, undergraduate and graduate students in both seminaries and universities, scholars and academics, and general readers with interest in the reception of biblical texts in literature, art, and music.