John L. Thompson
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195137361
- eISBN:
- 9780199834730
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195137361.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
Passages in the Old Testament that tell of violence against women have received intense scrutiny from feminist biblical critics, who have also decried the way these women's terrifying stories have ...
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Passages in the Old Testament that tell of violence against women have received intense scrutiny from feminist biblical critics, who have also decried the way these women's terrifying stories have been neglected or discounted over the centuries. But how did these women and their stories really fare at the hands of traditional, “precritical” interpreters? This book examines scores of biblical commentaries from the Judeo‐Christian tradition, ranging from Philo and patristic authors, through medieval and rabbinic interpreters, to the Protestant Reformers and other commentators of the sixteenth century. Specific narratives examined include the story of the exile of Hagar (Genesis 16 and 21, Galatians 4), the sacrifice of Jephthah's daughter (Judges 11), the gang rape of the Levite's concubine (Judges 19–21), and Lot's offer of his daughters to the men of Sodom (Genesis 19). A detailed examination of the history of interpretation sets forth the diverse agendas that these biblical stories served and makes clear that many precritical interpreters struggled intensely with these texts, with the injury to these women, and even with the apparent divine cruelty that allowed such tragic outcomes. The book concludes that these stories and these women were by no means neglected by premodern biblical commentators, and that there is a remarkable coincidence of interest shared by feminist interpreters and their traditional, precritical counterparts.Less
Passages in the Old Testament that tell of violence against women have received intense scrutiny from feminist biblical critics, who have also decried the way these women's terrifying stories have been neglected or discounted over the centuries. But how did these women and their stories really fare at the hands of traditional, “precritical” interpreters? This book examines scores of biblical commentaries from the Judeo‐Christian tradition, ranging from Philo and patristic authors, through medieval and rabbinic interpreters, to the Protestant Reformers and other commentators of the sixteenth century. Specific narratives examined include the story of the exile of Hagar (Genesis 16 and 21, Galatians 4), the sacrifice of Jephthah's daughter (Judges 11), the gang rape of the Levite's concubine (Judges 19–21), and Lot's offer of his daughters to the men of Sodom (Genesis 19). A detailed examination of the history of interpretation sets forth the diverse agendas that these biblical stories served and makes clear that many precritical interpreters struggled intensely with these texts, with the injury to these women, and even with the apparent divine cruelty that allowed such tragic outcomes. The book concludes that these stories and these women were by no means neglected by premodern biblical commentators, and that there is a remarkable coincidence of interest shared by feminist interpreters and their traditional, precritical counterparts.
Martin Harries
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780823227334
- eISBN:
- 9780823241026
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823227334.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
Can looking at disaster and mass death destroy us? This book provides a theory and a fragmentary history of destructive spectatorship in the twentieth century. Its subject is the notion that the ...
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Can looking at disaster and mass death destroy us? This book provides a theory and a fragmentary history of destructive spectatorship in the twentieth century. Its subject is the notion that the sight of historical catastrophe can destroy the spectator. The fragments of this history all lead back to the story of Lot's wife: looking back at the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, she turns into a pillar of salt. This biblical story of punishment and transformation, a nexus of sexuality, sight, and cities, becomes the template for the modern fear that looking back at disaster might petrify the spectator. Although rarely articulated directly, this idea remains powerful in our culture. This book traces some of its aesthetic, theoretical, and ethical consequences. The author traces the figure of Lot's wife across media. In extended engagements with examples from twentieth-century theatre, film, and painting, he focuses on the theatrical theory of Antonin Artaud, a series of American films, and paintings by Anselm Kiefer. These examples all return to the story of Lot's wife as a way to think about modern predicaments of the spectator. On the one hand, the sometimes veiled figure of Lot's wife allows these artists to picture the desire to destroy the spectator; on the other, she stands as a sign of the potential danger to the spectator. These works, that is, enact critiques of the very desire that inspires them. The book closes with an extended meditation on September 11, criticizing the notion that we should have been destroyed by witnessing the events of that day.Less
Can looking at disaster and mass death destroy us? This book provides a theory and a fragmentary history of destructive spectatorship in the twentieth century. Its subject is the notion that the sight of historical catastrophe can destroy the spectator. The fragments of this history all lead back to the story of Lot's wife: looking back at the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, she turns into a pillar of salt. This biblical story of punishment and transformation, a nexus of sexuality, sight, and cities, becomes the template for the modern fear that looking back at disaster might petrify the spectator. Although rarely articulated directly, this idea remains powerful in our culture. This book traces some of its aesthetic, theoretical, and ethical consequences. The author traces the figure of Lot's wife across media. In extended engagements with examples from twentieth-century theatre, film, and painting, he focuses on the theatrical theory of Antonin Artaud, a series of American films, and paintings by Anselm Kiefer. These examples all return to the story of Lot's wife as a way to think about modern predicaments of the spectator. On the one hand, the sometimes veiled figure of Lot's wife allows these artists to picture the desire to destroy the spectator; on the other, she stands as a sign of the potential danger to the spectator. These works, that is, enact critiques of the very desire that inspires them. The book closes with an extended meditation on September 11, criticizing the notion that we should have been destroyed by witnessing the events of that day.
John L. Thompson
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195137361
- eISBN:
- 9780199834730
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195137361.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
The story of the Levite and his (possibly) adulterous wife in Judges 19 (like Lot's exposure of his daughters to the men of Sodom in Genesis 19) is often seen as a horrific example of how women are ...
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The story of the Levite and his (possibly) adulterous wife in Judges 19 (like Lot's exposure of his daughters to the men of Sodom in Genesis 19) is often seen as a horrific example of how women are treated as chattels in the Bible: not only does the Levite thrust her into the hands of townsmen who rape her to the point of death, he then butchers her into a dozen pieces as an object lesson and rallying point for the 12 tribes of Israel. The history of interpretation of Judges 19 followed two lines: since the Septuagint text said nothing about the woman's unfaithfulness, patristic writers (who relied on the LXX) were generally sympathetic to her, but later medieval Christians read the Hebrew Bible's report of her harlotry and saw some justice in her unhappy fate. What unites both stories (Judges 19 and Genesis 19), however, is that even when the woman was seen as providentially punished, no one excused her husband or her assailants, even as Lot was roundly censured for his callousness – despite considerations of the duties of hospitality and the appeals to compensatory evil or temporary insanity that were usually factored into the moral equation.Less
The story of the Levite and his (possibly) adulterous wife in Judges 19 (like Lot's exposure of his daughters to the men of Sodom in Genesis 19) is often seen as a horrific example of how women are treated as chattels in the Bible: not only does the Levite thrust her into the hands of townsmen who rape her to the point of death, he then butchers her into a dozen pieces as an object lesson and rallying point for the 12 tribes of Israel. The history of interpretation of Judges 19 followed two lines: since the Septuagint text said nothing about the woman's unfaithfulness, patristic writers (who relied on the LXX) were generally sympathetic to her, but later medieval Christians read the Hebrew Bible's report of her harlotry and saw some justice in her unhappy fate. What unites both stories (Judges 19 and Genesis 19), however, is that even when the woman was seen as providentially punished, no one excused her husband or her assailants, even as Lot was roundly censured for his callousness – despite considerations of the duties of hospitality and the appeals to compensatory evil or temporary insanity that were usually factored into the moral equation.
Thomas L. Brodie
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195138368
- eISBN:
- 9780199834037
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195138368.003.0022
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
The call of Abram (Abraham) in Genesis 12–13 is one of the great stories of all time. Against a background of death and failure, someone responds to the call to new life and to a promise that ...
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The call of Abram (Abraham) in Genesis 12–13 is one of the great stories of all time. Against a background of death and failure, someone responds to the call to new life and to a promise that includes a form of new creation. The account of Abram's initial journeys falls into two balancing sections (12:1–13:1; and 13:2–18), with major crises or tests involving beauty and wealth respectively. Abram fails the first test; he effectively gives away his wife, Sarai, to the Egyptians to save himself. But in the second test, in the quarrel involving Lot, he puts brotherhood before wealth, and at the end, the promise from God is stronger than ever.Less
The call of Abram (Abraham) in Genesis 12–13 is one of the great stories of all time. Against a background of death and failure, someone responds to the call to new life and to a promise that includes a form of new creation. The account of Abram's initial journeys falls into two balancing sections (12:1–13:1; and 13:2–18), with major crises or tests involving beauty and wealth respectively. Abram fails the first test; he effectively gives away his wife, Sarai, to the Egyptians to save himself. But in the second test, in the quarrel involving Lot, he puts brotherhood before wealth, and at the end, the promise from God is stronger than ever.
Thomas L. Brodie
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195138368
- eISBN:
- 9780199834037
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195138368.003.0026
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
The incestuous birth of the grandchildren of Lot (19:30–38) forms a stark contrast with the birth of Isaac, the laughter‐related child of Abraham and Sarah (21:1–7). Both these birth texts lead to ...
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The incestuous birth of the grandchildren of Lot (19:30–38) forms a stark contrast with the birth of Isaac, the laughter‐related child of Abraham and Sarah (21:1–7). Both these birth texts lead to accounts suggesting the integrity of the surrounding peoples: Abimelech (Genesis 20); the Egyptians (Hagar's people, 21:8–21); and Abimelech and the Philistines (21:22–34). The overall effect is to suggest that the birth of Isaac has positive implications for the fate of the surrounding peoples.Less
The incestuous birth of the grandchildren of Lot (19:30–38) forms a stark contrast with the birth of Isaac, the laughter‐related child of Abraham and Sarah (21:1–7). Both these birth texts lead to accounts suggesting the integrity of the surrounding peoples: Abimelech (Genesis 20); the Egyptians (Hagar's people, 21:8–21); and Abimelech and the Philistines (21:22–34). The overall effect is to suggest that the birth of Isaac has positive implications for the fate of the surrounding peoples.
Patrick Sims‐Williams
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199588657
- eISBN:
- 9780191595431
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199588657.003.0007
- Subject:
- Literature, Early and Medieval Literature
This chapter discusses allusions in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, Branwen, to Irish geography: the former rivers between Britain and Ireland called Lli and the Archan and the submerged kingdoms; ...
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This chapter discusses allusions in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, Branwen, to Irish geography: the former rivers between Britain and Ireland called Lli and the Archan and the submerged kingdoms; the river Liffey and Dublin; and the origin story of the ‘five fifths of Ireland’. The last is compared with Lebor Gabála Érenn and Giraldus Cambrensis, with the Lot story in Genesis 19, with the stories of Cairbre Cattchenn and Túathal Techtmar, and with the ‘Treachery at Scone’.Less
This chapter discusses allusions in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, Branwen, to Irish geography: the former rivers between Britain and Ireland called Lli and the Archan and the submerged kingdoms; the river Liffey and Dublin; and the origin story of the ‘five fifths of Ireland’. The last is compared with Lebor Gabála Érenn and Giraldus Cambrensis, with the Lot story in Genesis 19, with the stories of Cairbre Cattchenn and Túathal Techtmar, and with the ‘Treachery at Scone’.
Barbara Freyer Stowasser
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195111484
- eISBN:
- 9780199853397
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195111484.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
In scripture, as well as in interpretation, Noah's and Lot's wives are proofs of rebelliousness against God and His chosen one. They acted falsely toward their husbands, both servants of God; these ...
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In scripture, as well as in interpretation, Noah's and Lot's wives are proofs of rebelliousness against God and His chosen one. They acted falsely toward their husbands, both servants of God; these prophets, then did not help them in the final judgment before God, and these two sinners were punished in hell. The central theme of Sura 66 is the female rebellion in a prophet's household and its corresponding punishment. The first five verses of Sura 66 pertain to a particular crisis in the Prophet Muhammad's household. Verses 6 and 7 of Sura 66 speak of the punishment of hell, a warning to the believers and ordained requital for those non-believers.Less
In scripture, as well as in interpretation, Noah's and Lot's wives are proofs of rebelliousness against God and His chosen one. They acted falsely toward their husbands, both servants of God; these prophets, then did not help them in the final judgment before God, and these two sinners were punished in hell. The central theme of Sura 66 is the female rebellion in a prophet's household and its corresponding punishment. The first five verses of Sura 66 pertain to a particular crisis in the Prophet Muhammad's household. Verses 6 and 7 of Sura 66 speak of the punishment of hell, a warning to the believers and ordained requital for those non-believers.
Melissa A. Jackson
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199656776
- eISBN:
- 9780191742170
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199656776.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Judaism
The matriarchs and patriarchs of Genesis pass down through the generations a special family trait: trickery. Lot's daughters, Rebekah, Leah, Rachel, and Tamar all exhibit the characteristics of the ...
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The matriarchs and patriarchs of Genesis pass down through the generations a special family trait: trickery. Lot's daughters, Rebekah, Leah, Rachel, and Tamar all exhibit the characteristics of the trickster, a humorous figure who prevails through alternative means such as deception, cunning, and sexuality, as power and position are not available to these marginal figures. These matriarchs maintain an ambiguous relationship to patriarchy, as they both preserve and undermine established society. This ambiguity creates difficulty for feminist critique in that the narratives celebrating these boundary‐crossing, subversive, survivalist figures are the same ones that reduce them merely to wombs whose ‘success’ is to bear sons. Comedy, serving its revelatory function, shows the incongruity between what is and what ought to be, so that viewing the trickster tales through the lens of comedy opens up interpretative options that themselves can aid in subverting established interpretations.Less
The matriarchs and patriarchs of Genesis pass down through the generations a special family trait: trickery. Lot's daughters, Rebekah, Leah, Rachel, and Tamar all exhibit the characteristics of the trickster, a humorous figure who prevails through alternative means such as deception, cunning, and sexuality, as power and position are not available to these marginal figures. These matriarchs maintain an ambiguous relationship to patriarchy, as they both preserve and undermine established society. This ambiguity creates difficulty for feminist critique in that the narratives celebrating these boundary‐crossing, subversive, survivalist figures are the same ones that reduce them merely to wombs whose ‘success’ is to bear sons. Comedy, serving its revelatory function, shows the incongruity between what is and what ought to be, so that viewing the trickster tales through the lens of comedy opens up interpretative options that themselves can aid in subverting established interpretations.
Benson Michaela
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719082498
- eISBN:
- 9781781701843
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719082498.003.0002
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Social Groups
This chapter provides the context for migration. On the one hand, it introduces the respondents in the Lot, highlighting their common origins as members of the British middle class and the various ...
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This chapter provides the context for migration. On the one hand, it introduces the respondents in the Lot, highlighting their common origins as members of the British middle class and the various contexts that brought about their migration. On the other hand, it sets the scene for the remainder of the book, explaining migration, both as presented by the migrants and in the terms of the ethnographic analyst. It traces how the migrants recounted the decision to migrate, highlighting the potential for self-realization. It also critically assesses the explanations presented in the now seminal texts on British migration to rural France and builds upon them to draw attention to the cultural determinants that drive this form of migration.Less
This chapter provides the context for migration. On the one hand, it introduces the respondents in the Lot, highlighting their common origins as members of the British middle class and the various contexts that brought about their migration. On the other hand, it sets the scene for the remainder of the book, explaining migration, both as presented by the migrants and in the terms of the ethnographic analyst. It traces how the migrants recounted the decision to migrate, highlighting the potential for self-realization. It also critically assesses the explanations presented in the now seminal texts on British migration to rural France and builds upon them to draw attention to the cultural determinants that drive this form of migration.
Benson Michaela
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719082498
- eISBN:
- 9781781701843
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719082498.003.0005
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Social Groups
This chapter concludes the discussion of imagination laid out in Part 1, examining further the interface between imagination and experience and presenting an explanation for the way in which the ...
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This chapter concludes the discussion of imagination laid out in Part 1, examining further the interface between imagination and experience and presenting an explanation for the way in which the migrants understand their post-migration lives. This lays the foundations for the migrants' identity-making practices. Through an examination of the varying ways in which the respondents relate to the landscape, the chapter reflects on the process of getting to know the landscape through experience, stressing that while imagination plays a central role in their expectations for post-migration lives and shapes their experiences, it can also be challenged and subtly transformed through experience. Against this background, the chapter argues that Bourdieu's concept of practice is useful for understanding the migrants' everyday lives in the Lot, allowing a role for their embodied experiences and individual biographies as well as the cultural logic that lay at the root of migration.Less
This chapter concludes the discussion of imagination laid out in Part 1, examining further the interface between imagination and experience and presenting an explanation for the way in which the migrants understand their post-migration lives. This lays the foundations for the migrants' identity-making practices. Through an examination of the varying ways in which the respondents relate to the landscape, the chapter reflects on the process of getting to know the landscape through experience, stressing that while imagination plays a central role in their expectations for post-migration lives and shapes their experiences, it can also be challenged and subtly transformed through experience. Against this background, the chapter argues that Bourdieu's concept of practice is useful for understanding the migrants' everyday lives in the Lot, allowing a role for their embodied experiences and individual biographies as well as the cultural logic that lay at the root of migration.
