Seth Daniel Kunin - Böcker

In an attempt to gain an integrated view of Judaism, this book addresses certain themes, including the understanding of space and place, rites of passage, and attitudes toward women in religion and scripture. These themes are specifically selected to be of interest to students of religion, anthropology, and Judaism. The overall approach of the book is phenomenological, providing a detailed picture of Jewish beliefs, practices, and symbols from the perspective of a member of one of the Jewish communities or movements. The chapters are written from an internal perspective, offering a unique understanding of the ways that different Jewish sects interact with their various religious traditions. The book demonstrates both the diversity and continuity found in modern Jewish communities and illustrates the constant interplay of tradition and innovation within Judaism.

In We Think What We Eat, Seth Kunin presents both an appreciation and critique of Professor Mary Douglas' classical work on Israelite food rules. He places her arguments into the context of related anthropological approaches and suggests a new interpretation of the food rules system based on a rigorous application of structuralist theory. Kunin then goes on to extend this analysis to other areas of Israelite culture. Through detailed analysis of texts from Genesis, Exodus and Judges, he demonstrates that the same structural pattern found in the first section in respect of ritual is also characteristic of the mythological material. This section of the book also takes up the issue of structural transformation. It examines the processes found as the myths move from the Israelite context to that of the rabbis, the authors of the New Testament and of the Book of Mormon. The arguments presented demonstrate that as the myths move from culture to culture diachronically and geographically while the same mythological elements are retained they are restructured and organized based on the structural needs of the new cultural context. Kunin is also interested in issues of structuralist theory.Thus, he addresses issues related to the processes of structural transformation - suggesting processes that lead to changes in structural emphasis and those relating to more significant transformations. This is volume 412 in the Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement series.