Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Construction of Early Jewish Identity

Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Construction of Early Jewish Identity PDF Author: Bob Becking
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
ISBN: 9783161501111
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
The post-exilic of Persian period showed a transition in the religion in ancient Israel from Yahwism(s) to Judaism(s). The events of exile and return made it impossible to completely fall back on the traditional religious identity. The essays in this volume try to reconstruct the path taken in that transition. The characters of Ezra and Nehemiah are generally seen as playing a formative role in this process. By reading texts from the biblical books supposedly written by Ezra and Nehemiah in a religio-historical context, new light falls on the process of change.

Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Construction of Early Jewish Identity

Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Construction of Early Jewish Identity PDF Author: Bob Becking
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
ISBN: 9783161501111
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 220

Get Book Here

Book Description
The post-exilic of Persian period showed a transition in the religion in ancient Israel from Yahwism(s) to Judaism(s). The events of exile and return made it impossible to completely fall back on the traditional religious identity. The essays in this volume try to reconstruct the path taken in that transition. The characters of Ezra and Nehemiah are generally seen as playing a formative role in this process. By reading texts from the biblical books supposedly written by Ezra and Nehemiah in a religio-historical context, new light falls on the process of change.

Judaism, the First Phase

Judaism, the First Phase PDF Author: Joseph Blenkinsopp
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 0802864503
Category : Bibles
Languages : en
Pages : 278

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Book Description
Most studies of how early Judaism related to the non-Jewish world and how it was perceived by others start no earlier than the Hellenistic period. Joseph Blenkinsopp argues that we must go further back, to the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and its temple and the liquidation of the political and religious infrastructure monarchy, priesthood, scribalism, prophecy which had sustained the Judean state for centuries. / Moving beyond the ideologically driven approaches of scholars over the past two centuries, he explores such pragmatic issues as the emergence of a distinctive group identity in the aftermath of the fall of the Judean state, the degree of continuity-discontinuity between national identity before the exile and competition among distinct group for legitimacy after it, and the historical realities behind the idea of a restoration in a fundamentally different world, with neither monarchy nor statehood and a much-diminished temple. / Judaism, the First Phase is a fresh and potentially stunning look at Jewish origins, tracing the legacy of Ezra and Nehemiah. Ideal for scholars and students.

Prayers and the Construction of Israelite Identity

Prayers and the Construction of Israelite Identity PDF Author: Susanne Gillmayr-Bucher
Publisher: SBL Press
ISBN: 0884143678
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 259

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Book Description
Substantial insights into various identity discourses reflected in the biblical prayers This collection of essays from an international group of scholars focuses on how biblical prayers of the Persian and early Hellenistic periods shaped identity, evoked a sense of belonging to specific groups, and added emotional significance to this affiliation. Contributors draw examples from different biblical texts, including Genesis, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, Psalms, Jonah, and Daniel. Features Thorough study of prayers that play a key role for a biblical book’s (re)construction of the people’s history and identity An examination of ways biblical figures are remodeled by their prayers by introducing other, sometimes even contradictory, discourses on identity An exploration of different ways in which psalms from postexilic times shaped, reflected, and modified identity discourses

Men, Masculinities and Intermarriage in Ezra 9-10

Men, Masculinities and Intermarriage in Ezra 9-10 PDF Author: Elisabeth M. Cook
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000968391
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 173

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Book Description
Offering a reading of the intermarriage debate and expulsion of the foreign women in Ezra 9-10, this book engages with the production and performance of masculinities in this biblical text, shifting the focus away from the 'foreign women' to the men who are the primary actors in this work. This approach addresses the diversity of masculinities and the ways in which they are implicated in the production of power relations in the text. It explores the ‘feminized’ masculinity of the peoples-of-the-lands, the unstable masculinity of the golah, Ezra’s performance of penitential masculinity, and the rehabilitation of divine masculinity. The rejection of the marriages and the call for the expulsion of the women and children are addressed as sites on which masculinities and power relations are configured. In doing so, this book sheds light on how women and the traits and performances culturally ascribed to women, femininity and inferior masculinities, are appropriated to produce masculinities and negotiate power relations between men. It posits that the debate in Ezra 9-10 is not, ultimately, about the women themselves, but about bringing the masculinities, bodies and practices of dissenting men under the ‘management’ of those who wield the Torah in the narrative world of the text. Men, Masculinities and Intermarriage in Ezra-9-10 is of interest for scholars and students working on the Book of Ezra specifically, as well as the Hebrew Bible and its world more broadly. It is also a valuable study for those working on masculinities and gender in the biblical world and ancient Near East.

Reconsidering Nehemiah's Judah

Reconsidering Nehemiah's Judah PDF Author: Deirdre N. Fulton
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
ISBN: 9783161538810
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
In this work, Deirdre N. Fulton examines the differences in the MT and LXX texts of Nehemiah 11-12. She portrays the rebuilding of Judah by focusing on the people who settled in Jerusalem, a catalog of settlements in Judah, a list of temple personnel, and a narrative of the dedication and procession around the walls of Jerusalem. In this systematic study the author analyzes the textual divergences and changes these chapters underwent over time. While both traditions cast Nehemiah 11-12 in Persian period Judah, the textual divergences between the MT and LXX reveal intentional changes that occurred during the Hellenistic period.

The Historical Writings

The Historical Writings PDF Author: Gale A. Yee
Publisher: Fortress Press
ISBN: 1506415822
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
This concise commentary on the Historical Writings, excerpted from the Fortress Commentary on the Bible: The Old Testament and Apocrypha, engages readers in the work of biblical interpretation. Contributors from a rich diversity of perspectives connect historical-critical analysis with sensitivity to current theological, cultural, and interpretive issues. Introductory articles describe the challenges of reading the Old Testament in ancient and contemporary contexts, relating the biblical theme of “the people of God” to our complex, multicultural world, and reading the Old Testament as Christian Scripture, followed by a survey of “Themes and Perspectives in the Historical Writings.” Each chapter (Joshua through Esther) includes an introduction and commentary on the text through the lenses of three critical questions: The Text in Its Ancient Context. What did the text probably mean in its original historical and cultural context? The Text in the Interpretive Tradition. How have centuries of reading and interpreting shaped our understanding of the text? The Text in Contemporary Discussion. What are the unique challenges and interpretive questions that arise for readers and hearers of the text today? The Historical Writings introduces fresh perspectives and draws students, as well as preachers and

The Danielic Discourse on Empire in Second Temple Literature

The Danielic Discourse on Empire in Second Temple Literature PDF Author: Alexandria Frisch
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 900433131X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 275

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Book Description
In The Danielic Discourse on Empire in Second Temple Literature, Alexandria Frisch asks: how did Jews in the Second Temple period understand the phenomenon of foreign empire? In answering this question, a remarkable trend reveals itself—the book of Daniel, which situates its narrative in an imperial context and apocalyptically envisions empires, was overwhelmingly used by Jewish writers when they wanted to say something about empires. This study examines Daniel, as well as antecedents to and interpretations of Daniel, in order to identify the diachronic changes in perceptions of empire during this period. Oftentimes, this Danielic discourse directly reacted to imperial ideologies, either copying, subverting, or adapting those ideologies. Throughout this study, postcolonial criticism, therefore, provides a hermeneutical lens through which to ask a second question: in an imperial context, is the Jewish conception of empire actually Jewish?

Separation of the People, Separation of the Land

Separation of the People, Separation of the Land PDF Author: Nicholas J. Campbell
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 175

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Book Description
This book argues that the parallel narrative structures of Ezra 9-10 and Nehemiah 1:1--3:32 are intended to connect the two books and highlight theological connection of building the community through exclusive ownership of the land. This is developed by contrasting the return narrative in Nehemiah 1-3 with the two other return narratives in Ezra 1-2 and 7-8. Then the removal of foreign wives in Ezra 9-10 is contrasted with foreign wives crises in Nehemiah 9-10 and 13:23-29. In these comparisons, the major thematic points, prominent character(s) and primary concern, and the narrative movements are examined. Once the differences between the thematically similar passages have been shown, the structures of Nehemiah 1-3 and Ezra 9-10 are compared. This comparison shows that the narrative movements of the two passages overlap, indicating that the narratives have been intentionally shaped to mirror each other. Finally, the theological and thematic importance of this is explained by comparing the theological message in each movement of the narrative in Ezra 9-10 and Nehemiah 1-3. The conclusion is that these highlight the shared theological message of building the community through exclusive ownership of the land.

Jerusalem and the One God

Jerusalem and the One God PDF Author: Othmar Keel
Publisher: Fortress Press
ISBN: 1506425615
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
Jerusalem, with its turbulent history, is without doubt one of the best-known cities of the world. A long line of foreign powers have ruled over it, from as far back as biblical times. But the city owes its importance not to them but to the fact that it is the birthplace of the monotheistic currents that shape Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Othmar Keel sketches in broad brush strokes the historical development of Israelite-Jewish monotheism in and around Jerusalem, arguing that monotheism is “a product of the city, not of the desert,” and describes its integration of polytheistic symbols and perceptions into its worldview. Keel relies on biblical and extrabiblical texts as well as the rich iconographic evidence of archaeological discoveries. Abundant maps and sketches of archaeological artifacts enhance his argument.

Prophecy and Prophets in Stories

Prophecy and Prophets in Stories PDF Author: Bob E.J.H. Becking
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 900429113X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 291

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Book Description
The fifth meeting of the Edinburgh prophecy network focussed on the presence of prophets and prophecy in narrative texts. The papers in this volume scrutinize the image of prophecy through the analysis of narrative processes. The papers deal with a great time span: from the Hittite Empire, via the Hebrew Bible, Judaism and Islam, up to the early Modern Period. Although all sorts of variations could be detected - especially due to the variety of temporal contexts, some features are recurring especially in view of the anthropological phenomenon of prophecy and its function in narratives.