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This collection of essays considers the Book of Esther from a
literary and sociological perspective. In part one, Else Holt
outlines the main questions of historical-critical research in the
Book of Esther. She also discusses the theological meaning of a
biblical book without God, and examines how the book was
transmitted through the last centuries BCE. She also explores how
the Hebrew and Greek variants of the Book of Esther picture its
main character, Esther, the Jewish queen of Persia. In part two,
Holt offers deconstructive reading of themes hidden under the
surface-levels of the book. Chapters include discussions of
Esther’s initiation into her role as Persian queen; the
inter-textual conversation with two much later texts, The Arabian
Nights and The Story of O; and the relationship between Mordecai,
the Jew, and his opponent Haman, the Agagite, as a matter of
mimetic doublings. The last part of the book introduces the
sociological concept of ethnicity-construction as the backdrop for
perceiving the instigation of the Jewish festival Purim and the
violence connected to it, and looks at the Book of Esther as an
example of trauma literature. The concluding chapter analyses the
moral quality of the book of Esther, asking the question: Is it a
bedtime story?
In the first half of the 20th century there was immense scholarly
interest in the biography of the prophet Jeremiah as the background
for understanding the development of the book of Jeremiah. Around
the turn of the century this interest disappeared, but it has now
resurfaced in a transformed configuration as work seeking to
analyze the creation of the literary persona, Jeremiah the prophet.
This volume examines the construction of Jeremiah in the prophetic
book and its afterlife, presenting a wide range of scholarly
approaches spanning the understanding of Jeremiah from Old
Testament times via the Renaissance to the 20th century, and from
theology to the history of literature.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel share much in common. They address
the pivotal times and topics associated with the last stages of the
monarchical history of Israel, and with the development of new
forms of communal and religious life through exile and beyond. One
important structural component of all three books is a substantial
section which concerns itself with a range of foreign nations,
commonly called the "Oracles against the Nations", which form the
focus of this book. These chapters together present the most
up-to-date scholarship on the oracles - an oft-neglected but
significant area in the study of the prophetic literature. The
particular characteristics of Isaiah, Jeremiah (both Masoretic Text
and Septuagint versions), and Ezekiel, are discussed showcasing the
unique issues pertinent to each book and the diverse methods used
to address them. These evident differences aside, the Oracles
Against the Nations are employed as a springboard in order to begin
the work of tracing similarities between the texts. By focusing on
these unique yet common sections, a range of interrelated themes
and issues of both content and method become noticeable: for
example, though not exhaustively, pattern, structure, language,
comparative history, archaeology, sociology, politics, literature,
imagery, theme, theology, and hermeneutical issues related to
today's context. As a result this collection presents a range of
cutting-edge approaches on these key prophetic books, and will
provide a basis for further comparative study and reflection.
In the first half of the 20th century there was immense scholarly
interest in the biography of the prophet Jeremiah as the background
for understanding the development of the book of Jeremiah. Around
the turn of the century this interest disappeared, but it has now
resurfaced in a transformed configuration as work seeking to
analyze the creation of the literary persona, Jeremiah the prophet.
This volume examines the construction of Jeremiah in the prophetic
book and its afterlife, presenting a wide range of scholarly
approaches spanning the understanding of Jeremiah from Old
Testament times via the Renaissance to the 20th century, and from
theology to the history of literature.
Hosea and the Hosean tradition play an important role in the
internal Israelite dispute about the nature of God and his relation
to the world and Israel. Hosea refers to traditions of the past in
which the interdependence between Yahweh and Israel, and in
particular Yahweh's care for his people, are recurrent themes. The
prophet can presuppose that certain portions of these traditions,
both "historical" and "theological", are known to his audience, but
it is his claim that what is not known to Israel is the demand that
is inherent in Yahweh's past dealings with his people, the demand
for exclusive worship of Yahweh. In his "historical"
retrospections, Hosea enphasizes time after time that Israel has
been chosen, not for a life of passive retreat, but to serve
Israel's God alone. This he proclaims as the true knowledge of God.
This collection of essays considers the Book of Esther from a
literary and sociological perspective. In part one, Else Holt
outlines the main questions of historical-critical research in the
Book of Esther. She also discusses the theological meaning of a
biblical book without God, and examines how the book was
transmitted through the last centuries BCE. She also explores how
the Hebrew and Greek variants of the Book of Esther picture its
main character, Esther, the Jewish queen of Persia. In part two,
Holt offers deconstructive reading of themes hidden under the
surface-levels of the book. Chapters include discussions of
Esther’s initiation into her role as Persian queen; the
inter-textual conversation with two much later texts, The Arabian
Nights and The Story of O; and the relationship between Mordecai,
the Jew, and his opponent Haman, the Agagite, as a matter of
mimetic doublings. The last part of the book introduces the
sociological concept of ethnicity-construction as the backdrop for
perceiving the instigation of the Jewish festival Purim and the
violence connected to it, and looks at the Book of Esther as an
example of trauma literature. The concluding chapter analyses the
moral quality of the book of Esther, asking the question: Is it a
bedtime story?
Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel share much in common. They address
the pivotal times and topics associated with the last stages of the
monarchical history of Israel, and with the development of new
forms of communal and religious life through exile and beyond. One
important structural component of all three books is a substantial
section which concerns itself with a range of foreign nations,
commonly called the "Oracles against the Nations", which form the
focus of this book. These chapters together present the most
up-to-date scholarship on the oracles - an oft-neglected but
significant area in the study of the prophetic literature. The
particular characteristics of Isaiah, Jeremiah (both Masoretic Text
and Septuagint versions), and Ezekiel, are discussed showcasing the
unique issues pertinent to each book and the diverse methods used
to address them. These evident differences aside, the Oracles
Against the Nations are employed as a springboard in order to begin
the work of tracing similarities between the texts. By focusing on
these unique yet common sections, a range of interrelated themes
and issues of both content and method become noticeable: for
example, though not exhaustively, pattern, structure, language,
comparative history, archaeology, sociology, politics, literature,
imagery, theme, theology, and hermeneutical issues related to
today's context. As a result this collection presents a range of
cutting-edge approaches on these key prophetic books, and will
provide a basis for further comparative study and reflection.
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