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Abram to Abraham explores the Abraham saga (11:27-22:24) through a
literary lens, following the legendary figure of Abraham as he
navigates the arduous odyssey to nationhood. Rather than overlook
the textual discrepancies, repetitions and contradictions long
noted by diachronic scholars, this study tackles them directly,
demonstrating how many problems of the ancient text in fact hold
the key to deeper understanding of the narrative and its
objectives. Therefore, the book frequently notes the classic
division of the text according to primary sources, but offers an
alternative, more harmonious reading based on the assumption that
the narrative forms a single, intentionally designed unit. The
narrative's artistic design is especially evident in its
arrangement of the two halves of the story around the protagonists'
change of name. The stories of Abram and Sarai in the first half of
the cycle (11:27-16:16) are parallel to the stories of Abraham and
Sarah in the second half (18:1-22:24). A close reading of this
transformation in the biblical narrative illuminates the moral and
theological values championed by the figure of Abraham as luminary,
soldier, family man, and loyal subject of God.
Ruth: Bridges and Boundaries is a literary close reading of the
text as a bridge between the anarchic period of the Judges and the
monarchic age that begins with the birth of David, as reflected
through Ruth's absorption process within Bethlehemite society. This
bridge is constructed from three main axes: the theological
perception that human actions have the power to shape and advance
reality; the moral-legal perception that the spirit of the law must
be privileged over the letter of the law and social conventions;
and the principle that the institute of monarchy must be based upon
human compassion. The commentary traces the narrative sequence
through the paradigm of this three-fold cord, showing how these
threads are woven throughout the book. This innovative reading is
illustrated with an unprecedented psychological analysis of Ruth as
a narrative of transition, using modern psychological theories.
This contemporary yet textually faithful literary commentary offers
new insight into the inner workings of the text of Ruth as literary
masterpiece. Academic yet accessible, this work provides tools for
readers of Ruth and the field of biblical narrative in general.
Using narrative devices such as allusions and free associations,
multivalent expressions, and irony, the author of Esther wrote a
story that is about a Jewish woman, Esther, during the time of the
Persian exile of Yehudites, and the Persian king, Ahasuerus, who
was in power at the time. At various junctures, the author also
used secret writing, or we could say that he conveys mixed
messages: one is a surface message, but another, often conflicting
message lies beneath the surface. For instance, the outer portrayal
of the king as one of the main protagonists is an ironic strategy
used by the author to highlight the king's impotent, indecisive,
"antihero" status. He may wield authority-as symbolized by his
twice-delegated signet ring-but he remains powerless. Among all the
concealments in the story, the concealment of God stands out as the
most prominent and influential example. A growing number of
scholars regard the book of Esther as a "comic diversion," the
function and intention of which are to entertain the reader.
However, Grossman is more convinced by Mikhail Bakhtin's approach,
and he labels his application of this approach to the reading of
Esther as "theological carnivalesque." Bakhtin viewed the carnival
(or the carnivalesque genre) as a challenge by the masses to the
governing establishment and to accepted social conventions. He
described the carnival as an eruption of ever-present but
suppressed popular sentiments. The connection between the story of
Esther and Bakhtin's characterization of the carnivalesque in
narrative is evident especially in the book of Esther's use of the
motifs of "reversal" and "transformation." For example, the young
girl Esther is transformed from an exiled Jewess into a queen in
one of the turnabouts that characterize the narrative. Many more
examples are provided in this analysis of one of the Bible's most
fascinating books.
A history of the Army's activities in the field of industrial
labor problems.
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