Themes and Issues in Biblical Studies – serie

This inaugural volume in the series, Themes and Issues in Biblical Studies, includes 19 articles that, collectively, provide readers with informed presentations of a range of current debates concerning Deuteronomy as well as key themes and their implications. A number of long-standing hypotheses are re-examined, with alternative options proposed. E-publication of individual chapters has preceded the printing of the finalized collection in hardback and paperback versions. Issues that have been included are: the proposed influence of Esarhaddon’s Succession adê on Deuteronomy 13 and 12; berît as treaty, covenant, or instructions; Deuteronomy in dialogue with ancient Near Eastern law collections; reconceived Yahwism; Torah as a tool of propaganda and hegemony adapted from Persian dāta; characteristics of the Samaritan version of Deuteronomy; the role of Deuteronomy in the Pentateuch; where and when Deuteronomy might have been written, the influence of Deuteronomy on the final shape of the psalter. Themes that have been examined include: geographical dimensions of the book; parenting; economic dimensions of the book; ethnicity and power; pedagogy; Moses as master scribe; pragmatism, utopia and dystopia in the book; ethics; and the memory of Cisjordan as a landscape of fortified cities.

This inaugural volume in the series, Themes and Issues in Biblical Studies, includes 19 articles that, collectively, provide readers with informed presentations of a range of current debates concerning Deuteronomy as well as key themes and their implications. A number of long-standing hypotheses are re-examined, with alternative options proposed. E-publication of individual chapters has preceded the printing of the finalized collection in hardback and paperback versions. Issues that have been included are: the proposed influence of Esarhaddon’s Succession adê on Deuteronomy 13 and 12; berît as treaty, covenant, or instructions; Deuteronomy in dialogue with ancient Near Eastern law collections; reconceived Yahwism; Torah as a tool of propaganda and hegemony adapted from Persian dāta; characteristics of the Samaritan version of Deuteronomy; the role of Deuteronomy in the Pentateuch; where and when Deuteronomy might have been written, the influence of Deuteronomy on the final shape of the psalter. Themes that have been examined include: geographical dimensions of the book; parenting; economic dimensions of the book; ethnicity and power; pedagogy; Moses as master scribe; pragmatism, utopia and dystopia in the book; ethics; and the memory of Cisjordan as a landscape of fortified cities.

The Book of Ruth is an all-time Bible favorite. In four chapters, it builds a clear plot with narrative tension heightened with sexual innuendos; and it ends well. Since the 1990s at least, studies produced an array of portrayals of the heroes of the tale beyond the traditional idyllic readings. Gaps and fissures have been explored to cover its ideological premises. Feminist readings denounce the way patriarchalism used the figures of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz to bolster its social hegemony. Ruth has been presented as a coquette, Naomi as a pimp or a scold, Ruth and Naomi as lesbians, Boaz as exploiter of the proletariat, unstraight, sugar Daddy or impotent.The growing types of LGBTQ+ orientations might offer more characterizations still; and Veganism has yet to grind Ruth’s gleanings and Boaz’s bridal gift.Yet, time is ripe to steer a course between idyllic readings and critical ones. There is more to gender asymmetries and patriarchy than the devaluation of women. Women always have power. Neither Naomi or Ruth are powerless victims.This volume maps an uncompromising way forward between patriarchy and advocacy.This volume will be first published online and then as a print book.

The Book of Ruth is an all-time Bible favorite. In four chapters, it builds a clear plot with narrative tension heightened with sexual innuendos; and it ends well. Since the 1990s at least, studies produced an array of portrayals of the heroes of the tale beyond the traditional idyllic readings. Gaps and fissures have been explored to cover its ideological premises. Feminist readings denounce the way patriarchalism used the figures of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz to bolster its social hegemony. Ruth has been presented as a coquette, Naomi as a pimp or a scold, Ruth and Naomi as lesbians, Boaz as exploiter of the proletariat, unstraight, sugar Daddy or impotent.The growing types of LGBTQ+ orientations might offer more characterizations still; and Veganism has yet to grind Ruth’s gleanings and Boaz’s bridal gift.Yet, time is ripe to steer a course between idyllic readings and critical ones. There is more to gender asymmetries and patriarchy than the devaluation of women. Women always have power. Neither Naomi or Ruth are powerless victims.This volume maps an uncompromising way forward between patriarchy and advocacy.This volume will be first published online and then as a print book.

The Book of Esther is a thrilling story about how Esther and Mordecai averted the plan to annihilate the Jewish people in the Persian period. Both its many textual versions and different readings in various media imply a wealthy interpretive tradition of the story. For centuries, readers have been fascinated by the narrative’s suspense and drama, its courageous and smart Jewish protagonists, and its happy ending. However, the story has also troubled generations of readers. Among other things, Haman’s genocidal plan and his Jew-hatred, the lack of references to God, and the battle scenes before the celebration of Purim in the ninth chapter have led to intensive and often contradicting discussions among interpreters.Standing on the shoulders of an amazingly rich history of interpretation, this volume gathers innovative research on core aspects of the book that challenge long-held scholarly assumptions. The articles in this volume trace the reception history from antiquity to modern times among Jewish, Christian, and Islamic circles, discussing the story of Esther in, for instance, its Hebrew and Greek versions, Targum, Babylonian Talmud, the synagogue paintings in Dura Europos, and the Lutheran reformation. In bringing together experts working with comparative material and interdisciplinary approaches to identity, belonging, gender, migration, violence, horror, fan fiction, and social media, this volume offers fresh perspectives and invites readers to reshape their understanding of the Book of Esther.

The Book of Esther is a thrilling story about how Esther and Mordecai averted the plan to annihilate the Jewish people in the Persian period. Both its many textual versions and different readings in various media imply a wealthy interpretive tradition of the story. For centuries, readers have been fascinated by the narrative’s suspense and drama, its courageous and smart Jewish protagonists, and its happy ending. However, the story has also troubled generations of readers. Among other things, Haman’s genocidal plan and his Jew-hatred, the lack of references to God, and the battle scenes before the celebration of Purim in the ninth chapter have led to intensive and often contradicting discussions among interpreters.Standing on the shoulders of an amazingly rich history of interpretation, this volume gathers innovative research on core aspects of the book that challenge long-held scholarly assumptions. The articles in this volume trace the reception history from antiquity to modern times among Jewish, Christian, and Islamic circles, discussing the story of Esther in, for instance, its Hebrew and Greek versions, Targum, Babylonian Talmud, the synagogue paintings in Dura Europos, and the Lutheran reformation. In bringing together experts working with comparative material and interdisciplinary approaches to identity, belonging, gender, migration, violence, horror, fan fiction, and social media, this volume offers fresh perspectives and invites readers to reshape their understanding of the Book of Esther.

The story of Job is often read as a simple tale of innocent suffering. A pious man is put to the test, proves his faithfulness, and is richly rewarded. Yet the book of Job is perhaps the most linguistically challenging and theologically complex work in the Hebrew scriptures. The reception of the book in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, in literature, the visual arts, philosophy, and modern biblical scholarship, has shown that neither the book of Job nor its protagonist are in any way simple. The book is, furthermore, about far more than the problem of innocent suffering.Aimed primarily at advanced undergraduate and graduate students, this volume introduces some of the most significant recent approaches to the book of Job, drawing on a variety of exegetical, theoretical, and cultural perspectives. It challenges the predominance of western perspectives on the book of Job by incorporating approaches to the book from Africa, Aotearoa New Zealand, and the Pacific. The essays cover the poetics of the book and the challenges of translating it, the history of composition and reception, the use of irony and metaphor, intertextual allusion, the figure of Job’s wife, constructions of femininity and masculinity, justice, ethics, ecology, creation, post-humanism, the body, the place of Job in early Judaism and Christianity, theological exegesis, trauma hermeneutics, and the reception of Job in modern philosophy. The collection concludes with a postcolonial Moana reading of Leviathan and a profound engagement with the ambiguities of Job’s final response to the deity.