| Ruth/Esther Contributor(s): Linafelt, Tod (Author), Beal, Timothy K. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0814650457 ISBN-13: 9780814650455 Publisher: Liturgical Press OUR PRICE: $35.96 Product Type: Hardcover Published: September 1999 Annotation: For centuries people have turned to the Hebrew Bible to hear the life-giving words of God's everlasting covenant. Berit Olam: Studies in Hebrew Narrative and Poetry shares the riches of this message with all who seek to hear it. Twenty-four volumes are projected for the series. Anticipate one volume in the series each spring and fall. -- This series reflects the latest developments in a relatively new method of biblical study: literary criticism. -- The authors approach the books of the Hebrew Bible as literary works, recognizing that the stories and poetry can be better appreciated if one is acquainted with the techniques whereby the ancient Hebrew authors told stories and wrote poems, as well as the strategies that modern readers use to understand them. -- The contributors represent a variety of religious traditions, and theoretical approaches. -- The authors comment on the text of the Hebrew Bible but they refer primarily to the New Revised Standard Version when referring to a modern translation. -- The volumes in Berit Olam contain commentary only; the complete biblical text is not included. Enables readers to discover the uncertainties of the texts of Ruth and Esther and shows how these uncertainties are integral to the narrative art of these texts. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Religion | Biblical Criticism & Interpretation - Old Testament - Religion | Biblical Commentary - Old Testament - General - Religion | Biblical Studies - Old Testament - General |
| Dewey: 222.350 |
| LCCN: 99011352 |
| Series: Berit Olam (The Everlasting Covenant): Studies In Hebrew Narrative And Poetry |
| Physical Information: 0.93" H x 6.43" W x 9.34" (1.16 lbs) 272 pages |
| Themes: - Theometrics - Catholic - Religious Orientation - Catholic - Religious Orientation - Christian |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Some ancient works of literature survive in fragments that appear so simple and complete it's hard to imagine them as being part of a larger narrative. Such is the case with Ruth and Esther. On first reading they appear so simple, so whole, and their meanings so completely self-evident. Yet the closer you look, the more perplexing they become. Ruth and Esther offers that close look, enabling readers to discover the uncertainties of the texts and demonstrating how these uncertainties are not problems to be solved, but rather are integral to the narrative art of these texts. In Ruth, the first part of this volume, Tod Linafelt highlights the most unresolved and perplexing aspects of Ruth. In doing so he offers an interpretation he calls "unsettling." Linafelt states that it is unsettling in the sense that he often refuses to ?settle? on a single, unequivocal meaning of a particular word, phrase, or theme. Rather he prefers to underscore the dual or even multiple meanings that the narrative so often has. Another way Ruth differs from other interpretations is that Linafelt entertains the possibility that there might be complexity or ambiguity with regard to the various characters? motivations, the presentation of God, or the book's purpose. In this commentary, Linafelt explores the ambiguities of meaning built into the grammar, syntax, and vocabulary of the story to discover how these ambiguities carry over to the larger interpretive issues of characterization, theology, and purpose. He also lays forth an argument that the book of Ruth is intended to be read as an interlude between Judges and Samuel. The second part of this volume focuses on Esther, a story of anti-Judaism that raises strikingly contemporary questions concerning relations between sexism, ethnocentrism, and national identity. In Esther Timothy Beal guides readers into the meaning of the story using rhetorical criticism. He asks questions without assuming that there must be answers and allows for complexity, perplexity, and the importance of accidents in the text. In essence, Beal emphasizes the particular over the general and the tentative over the continuous; however, he does not altogether dismiss the importance of broader interpretations of Esther, especially those focusing on narrative structure. Chapters in Ruth are ?The Bond between Ruth and Naomi, ? ?Finding Favor in Boaz's Field, ? ?An Ambiguous Encounter in the Night, ? and ?Making It All Legal.? Chapters in Esther are ?Beginning with the End of Vashti: Esther 1:1-22, ? ?Remembering to Forget: Esther 2:1-4, ? ?New Family Dynamics: Esther 2:5-18, ? ?Coup: Esther 2:19-23, ? ?Politics of Anti-Judaism: Esther 3:1-15, ? ?Another Quarter: Esther 4:1-17, ? ?Face to Face: Esther 5:1-8, ? ?Fifty Cubits for Mordecai: Esther 5:9-14, ? ?Sleep Deserts: Esther 6:1-14, ? ?Coming Out Party: Esther 7:1- 10, ? ?Overwriting: Esther 8:1-17, ? and ?Aftermath: Esther 9:1?10:3.? |
Contributor Bio(s): Linafelt, Tod: - Tod Linafelt, Ph.D., is assistant professor of biblical studies at Georgetown University. |