James Halteman and Edd Noell
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199763702
- eISBN:
- 9780199932252
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199763702.003.0002
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Financial Economics
After considering why modern economists pay little attention to ancient thinkers, the chapter explores the views of Aristotle with particular attention to his views on the moral life. Aristotle’s ...
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After considering why modern economists pay little attention to ancient thinkers, the chapter explores the views of Aristotle with particular attention to his views on the moral life. Aristotle’s view of happiness focuses on what is really good for people rather than what is desired at any given time. Morality for Aristotle was not religious. His views on social organization, exchange and pricing, money and interest, and all other economic matters focused on justice and true happiness. Hesiod’s portrayal of the common person is then contrasted with Aristotle’s idealized vision. The chapter also describes the contribution of the Hebrews and some of the biblical teaching on economic relationships as well as the Stoic philosophy that caught the attention of Adam Smith many centuries later. The vignette at the end of the chapter is titled “Aristotle and the Purpose of Life.”Less
After considering why modern economists pay little attention to ancient thinkers, the chapter explores the views of Aristotle with particular attention to his views on the moral life. Aristotle’s view of happiness focuses on what is really good for people rather than what is desired at any given time. Morality for Aristotle was not religious. His views on social organization, exchange and pricing, money and interest, and all other economic matters focused on justice and true happiness. Hesiod’s portrayal of the common person is then contrasted with Aristotle’s idealized vision. The chapter also describes the contribution of the Hebrews and some of the biblical teaching on economic relationships as well as the Stoic philosophy that caught the attention of Adam Smith many centuries later. The vignette at the end of the chapter is titled “Aristotle and the Purpose of Life.”
Mark S. Smith
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195134803
- eISBN:
- 9780199834655
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019513480X.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
An examination is made of the monotheistic theologies in the priestly work of Genesis 1, the wisdom of Proverbs 1–9, and the apocalyptic of Daniel 7. These are three monotheistic adaptations to the ...
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An examination is made of the monotheistic theologies in the priestly work of Genesis 1, the wisdom of Proverbs 1–9, and the apocalyptic of Daniel 7. These are three monotheistic adaptations to the older model of the Israelite national god: respectively, a priestly model, the form of the figure of wisdom personified in female terms, and apocalyptic imagery, with its clear reminiscences of old monarchic theology. All three models involve old mythic material that spoke powerfully and was reused in new and varying circumstances. Mythic narratives and imagery were the chosen forms not only of educated classes such as the monarchy or priesthood; rather, these groups likely drew upon these materials precisely because they were well known among the educated and uneducated, rich and poor. After the treatment of these monotheistic presentations of the Israelite national deity, the author addresses the so-called demise of myth in Israel. Like the preceding chapters, this survey uses the Ugaritic mythological texts as a primary source.Less
An examination is made of the monotheistic theologies in the priestly work of Genesis 1, the wisdom of Proverbs 1–9, and the apocalyptic of Daniel 7. These are three monotheistic adaptations to the older model of the Israelite national god: respectively, a priestly model, the form of the figure of wisdom personified in female terms, and apocalyptic imagery, with its clear reminiscences of old monarchic theology. All three models involve old mythic material that spoke powerfully and was reused in new and varying circumstances. Mythic narratives and imagery were the chosen forms not only of educated classes such as the monarchy or priesthood; rather, these groups likely drew upon these materials precisely because they were well known among the educated and uneducated, rich and poor. After the treatment of these monotheistic presentations of the Israelite national deity, the author addresses the so-called demise of myth in Israel. Like the preceding chapters, this survey uses the Ugaritic mythological texts as a primary source.
Bruce Zuckerman
- Published in print:
- 1991
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195058963
- eISBN:
- 9780199853342
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195058963.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This book offers an original reading of the book of Job, one of the great classics of biblical literature, and in the process develops a new formula for understanding how biblical texts evolve in the ...
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This book offers an original reading of the book of Job, one of the great classics of biblical literature, and in the process develops a new formula for understanding how biblical texts evolve in the process of transmission. The book presents the thesis that the book of Job was intended as a parody the stereotypical righteous sufferer. In this extended analogy, the book compares the book of Job and its fate to that of a famous Yiddish short story, “Bontshe Shvayg,” another covert parody whose protagonist has come to be revered as a paradigm of innocent Jewish suffering. The history of this story is used to show how a literary text becomes separated from the intention of its author, and comes to have a quite different meaning for a specific community of readers.Less
This book offers an original reading of the book of Job, one of the great classics of biblical literature, and in the process develops a new formula for understanding how biblical texts evolve in the process of transmission. The book presents the thesis that the book of Job was intended as a parody the stereotypical righteous sufferer. In this extended analogy, the book compares the book of Job and its fate to that of a famous Yiddish short story, “Bontshe Shvayg,” another covert parody whose protagonist has come to be revered as a paradigm of innocent Jewish suffering. The history of this story is used to show how a literary text becomes separated from the intention of its author, and comes to have a quite different meaning for a specific community of readers.
Roland Enmarch and Verena M. Lepper (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780197265420
- eISBN:
- 9780191760471
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265420.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This book reviews the numerous developments in the theoretical framework of interpretation that have taken place over recent years. The application of more theoretically informed approaches to the ...
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This book reviews the numerous developments in the theoretical framework of interpretation that have taken place over recent years. The application of more theoretically informed approaches to the ancient literary corpus, and a more detailed analysis of context, form, and reception, have fundamentally challenged the interpretative paradigms that formerly held sway. No consensus on interpretative stance has yet emerged, and in this volume many of the foremost researchers in the field examine the overall state of work on the subject. The chapters in the present volume are intended to contribute to this development of different approaches in their application to real Egyptian texts. No single overarching theoretical framework underlies these contributions; instead they represent a multiplicity of perspectives. The range of chapters includes textual criticism; literary criticism; the social role of literature; reception theory; and the treatment of newly discovered literary texts. All contributions centre on the problems and potentials of studying Egyptian literature in a theoretically informed manner. Although major difficulties remain in interpreting a literature preserved only fragmentarily, this volume demonstrates the ongoing vitality of current Egyptological approaches to this problem. This volume also incorporates a broader cross-cultural and comparative element, providing overviews of connections and discontinuities with biblical, Classical, and Mesopotamian literatures, in order to address the comparative contexts of Ancient Egyptian literature.Less
This book reviews the numerous developments in the theoretical framework of interpretation that have taken place over recent years. The application of more theoretically informed approaches to the ancient literary corpus, and a more detailed analysis of context, form, and reception, have fundamentally challenged the interpretative paradigms that formerly held sway. No consensus on interpretative stance has yet emerged, and in this volume many of the foremost researchers in the field examine the overall state of work on the subject. The chapters in the present volume are intended to contribute to this development of different approaches in their application to real Egyptian texts. No single overarching theoretical framework underlies these contributions; instead they represent a multiplicity of perspectives. The range of chapters includes textual criticism; literary criticism; the social role of literature; reception theory; and the treatment of newly discovered literary texts. All contributions centre on the problems and potentials of studying Egyptian literature in a theoretically informed manner. Although major difficulties remain in interpreting a literature preserved only fragmentarily, this volume demonstrates the ongoing vitality of current Egyptological approaches to this problem. This volume also incorporates a broader cross-cultural and comparative element, providing overviews of connections and discontinuities with biblical, Classical, and Mesopotamian literatures, in order to address the comparative contexts of Ancient Egyptian literature.
Andrew Mein
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199291397
- eISBN:
- 9780191700620
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199291397.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
There is substantial disagreement between scholars about what the proper focus for the study of ‘Hebrew Bible Ethics’ or ‘Old Testament Ethics’ should be. The subject of ethics in ancient Israel and ...
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There is substantial disagreement between scholars about what the proper focus for the study of ‘Hebrew Bible Ethics’ or ‘Old Testament Ethics’ should be. The subject of ethics in ancient Israel and the Hebrew Bible is a difficult one to enter for a number of reasons. For example, there is considerable uncertainty about what we mean when we use an expression like ‘the ethics of the Hebrew Bible’. Are we interested in the beliefs of all or most ancient Israelites, the views of certain biblical authors, or indeed the ethical outlook of the whole Hebrew Bible? This chapter discusses ancient Israelite ethics in a social context, descriptive ethics and normative ethics, moral horizons and social groups, social stratification and moral worlds, and the social location of biblical literature.Less
There is substantial disagreement between scholars about what the proper focus for the study of ‘Hebrew Bible Ethics’ or ‘Old Testament Ethics’ should be. The subject of ethics in ancient Israel and the Hebrew Bible is a difficult one to enter for a number of reasons. For example, there is considerable uncertainty about what we mean when we use an expression like ‘the ethics of the Hebrew Bible’. Are we interested in the beliefs of all or most ancient Israelites, the views of certain biblical authors, or indeed the ethical outlook of the whole Hebrew Bible? This chapter discusses ancient Israelite ethics in a social context, descriptive ethics and normative ethics, moral horizons and social groups, social stratification and moral worlds, and the social location of biblical literature.
Job Y. Jindo
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814740620
- eISBN:
- 9780814724798
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814740620.003.0013
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter considers the case of Yehezkel Kaufmann, often referred to as “the greatest and most influential Jewish biblical scholar of modern times.” He understood the Bible as a historical ...
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This chapter considers the case of Yehezkel Kaufmann, often referred to as “the greatest and most influential Jewish biblical scholar of modern times.” He understood the Bible as a historical artifact produced in a particular setting of time and place. For him, the Bible was a text to be examined by means of the general principles and analytical tools of empirical investigation. Kaufmann has no doubt about discussing the history of the formation and transmission of biblical literature. The chapter presents two perspectives of reading Kaufmann's Toledot ha'emunah hayisre'elit (A History of the Israelite Faith). First, it is a classic that has shaped contemporary Jewish biblical scholarship; and second, it still has relevance for today's biblical and religious studies-especially for phenomenological analyses of biblical monotheism.Less
This chapter considers the case of Yehezkel Kaufmann, often referred to as “the greatest and most influential Jewish biblical scholar of modern times.” He understood the Bible as a historical artifact produced in a particular setting of time and place. For him, the Bible was a text to be examined by means of the general principles and analytical tools of empirical investigation. Kaufmann has no doubt about discussing the history of the formation and transmission of biblical literature. The chapter presents two perspectives of reading Kaufmann's Toledot ha'emunah hayisre'elit (A History of the Israelite Faith). First, it is a classic that has shaped contemporary Jewish biblical scholarship; and second, it still has relevance for today's biblical and religious studies-especially for phenomenological analyses of biblical monotheism.
Moshe Idel
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300083798
- eISBN:
- 9780300135077
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300083798.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter is concerned with the existence of secrets within the Torah during late antiquity and the early Middle Ages. It also focuses on the concepts of binah and derishah. These are two verbs ...
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This chapter is concerned with the existence of secrets within the Torah during late antiquity and the early Middle Ages. It also focuses on the concepts of binah and derishah. These are two verbs that occur within biblical literature and have respective careers within the domain of Jewish esoterica.Less
This chapter is concerned with the existence of secrets within the Torah during late antiquity and the early Middle Ages. It also focuses on the concepts of binah and derishah. These are two verbs that occur within biblical literature and have respective careers within the domain of Jewish esoterica.
James A. W. Heffernan
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- September 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780300195583
- eISBN:
- 9780300206845
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300195583.003.0003
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
This chapter illustrates examples of hospitality in biblical literature. In Paradise Lost, Milton reshapes the book of Genesis and describes how Satan perverts the principle of hospitality that later ...
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This chapter illustrates examples of hospitality in biblical literature. In Paradise Lost, Milton reshapes the book of Genesis and describes how Satan perverts the principle of hospitality that later prompts Adam and Eve play host to Raphael, who came to warn them against Satan. The Old Testament features remarkable episodes of hospitality beginning with Abraham as host of the angels.Less
This chapter illustrates examples of hospitality in biblical literature. In Paradise Lost, Milton reshapes the book of Genesis and describes how Satan perverts the principle of hospitality that later prompts Adam and Eve play host to Raphael, who came to warn them against Satan. The Old Testament features remarkable episodes of hospitality beginning with Abraham as host of the angels.
Susanne Zepp
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780804787451
- eISBN:
- 9780804793148
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Stanford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.11126/stanford/9780804787451.003.0006
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Jewish Studies
The fifth chapter of text analysis examines the main work of João Pinto Delgado, the Poema de la Reyna Ester, Lamentaciones del Propheta Ieremias e Historia de Rut, published in Rouen in 1627 and ...
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The fifth chapter of text analysis examines the main work of João Pinto Delgado, the Poema de la Reyna Ester, Lamentaciones del Propheta Ieremias e Historia de Rut, published in Rouen in 1627 and dedicated to Cardinal Richelieu. In three subsections, this chapter analyzes the transformation of the three biblical stories of Esther, Ruth, and Jeremiah into poetic form. The tension inherent in these texts is described as the contrast between an “augmenting”, typological, Christian concept of history and a paradigmatic-serial, virtually recursive concept of history as it is common in the Jewish tradition with its still open messianism. Regardless of its relatively traditional character, Pinto Delgado’s text on an abstract level thus conceives a basic figure of modernity: the figure of competing interpretations of temporality.Less
The fifth chapter of text analysis examines the main work of João Pinto Delgado, the Poema de la Reyna Ester, Lamentaciones del Propheta Ieremias e Historia de Rut, published in Rouen in 1627 and dedicated to Cardinal Richelieu. In three subsections, this chapter analyzes the transformation of the three biblical stories of Esther, Ruth, and Jeremiah into poetic form. The tension inherent in these texts is described as the contrast between an “augmenting”, typological, Christian concept of history and a paradigmatic-serial, virtually recursive concept of history as it is common in the Jewish tradition with its still open messianism. Regardless of its relatively traditional character, Pinto Delgado’s text on an abstract level thus conceives a basic figure of modernity: the figure of competing interpretations of temporality.
Angelika Neuwirth
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- March 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780199928958
- eISBN:
- 9780190921316
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780199928958.003.0012
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Religions, Asian and Middle Eastern History: BCE to 500CE
In this chapter, a detailed depiction is offered of the development of specific biblical figures and narratives in the Qur’an. Each figure reflects the Qur’anic reframing of the role of prophecy in ...
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In this chapter, a detailed depiction is offered of the development of specific biblical figures and narratives in the Qur’an. Each figure reflects the Qur’anic reframing of the role of prophecy in general and the biblical figuration of prophecy and Prophets in specific. The depictions of these figures are set against the background of their evidence in the preceding Late Antique religious and literary traditions, including Alexander legends, Christian homilies, and the Jewish accounts of Josephus.Less
In this chapter, a detailed depiction is offered of the development of specific biblical figures and narratives in the Qur’an. Each figure reflects the Qur’anic reframing of the role of prophecy in general and the biblical figuration of prophecy and Prophets in specific. The depictions of these figures are set against the background of their evidence in the preceding Late Antique religious and literary traditions, including Alexander legends, Christian homilies, and the Jewish accounts of Josephus.
G. Kratz Reinhard
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198728771
- eISBN:
- 9780191795503
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198728771.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Judaism
This chapter describes the prerequisites of biblical literature. It first explains the difference between the general Israelite and Judahite scribal culture, on the one hand, and biblical tradition, ...
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This chapter describes the prerequisites of biblical literature. It first explains the difference between the general Israelite and Judahite scribal culture, on the one hand, and biblical tradition, on the other. Furthermore, the chapter assesses scribes, scribal schools, writing, and writing media. Finally, it provides an overview of relicts from the (pre-biblical or non-biblical) Israelite and Judahite scribal culture, both from inscriptions and—by analogy to the epigraphic material—from the biblical tradition itself. The examples presented here cover different dimensions of literature, such as economy and administration, judiciary, religious practice, magic and divination, temple and cult, royal chronicles and narratives, and—last but not least—wisdom.Less
This chapter describes the prerequisites of biblical literature. It first explains the difference between the general Israelite and Judahite scribal culture, on the one hand, and biblical tradition, on the other. Furthermore, the chapter assesses scribes, scribal schools, writing, and writing media. Finally, it provides an overview of relicts from the (pre-biblical or non-biblical) Israelite and Judahite scribal culture, both from inscriptions and—by analogy to the epigraphic material—from the biblical tradition itself. The examples presented here cover different dimensions of literature, such as economy and administration, judiciary, religious practice, magic and divination, temple and cult, royal chronicles and narratives, and—last but not least—wisdom.
G. Kratz Reinhard
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198728771
- eISBN:
- 9780191795503
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198728771.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Judaism
This chapter focuses on the transition and transformation of the relicts of scribal culture in Israel and Judah into biblical literature and tradition. The terms “transition” and “transformation” ...
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This chapter focuses on the transition and transformation of the relicts of scribal culture in Israel and Judah into biblical literature and tradition. The terms “transition” and “transformation” signify the fundamental change and interpretative dynamics experienced by the sources of scribal culture in the process of their becoming specifically “biblical” literature. “Theologization” serves as a preliminary designation for this process of transition and transformation, which continued in an extensive, long-lasting process of interpretation and revision (Fortschreibung) of the biblical writings. This process did not begin simultaneously in all the various domains of tradition but developed quite differently in chronology and content alike. The chapter follows the main areas of biblical tradition and treats—in this order—the growth of the prophetic, narrative, legislative, psalmic, and sapiential literature.Less
This chapter focuses on the transition and transformation of the relicts of scribal culture in Israel and Judah into biblical literature and tradition. The terms “transition” and “transformation” signify the fundamental change and interpretative dynamics experienced by the sources of scribal culture in the process of their becoming specifically “biblical” literature. “Theologization” serves as a preliminary designation for this process of transition and transformation, which continued in an extensive, long-lasting process of interpretation and revision (Fortschreibung) of the biblical writings. This process did not begin simultaneously in all the various domains of tradition but developed quite differently in chronology and content alike. The chapter follows the main areas of biblical tradition and treats—in this order—the growth of the prophetic, narrative, legislative, psalmic, and sapiential literature.
George A. Kennedy
- Published in print:
- 1984
- Published Online:
- July 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780807841204
- eISBN:
- 9781469616261
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9780807841204.003.0008
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Archaeology: Classical
This Conclusion presents some final thoughts. The Conclusion indicates that this book's detailed discussion on redaction criticism, historical and literary criticism, and other approaches hopes to ...
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This Conclusion presents some final thoughts. The Conclusion indicates that this book's detailed discussion on redaction criticism, historical and literary criticism, and other approaches hopes to have provided supplementary information for the interpretation presented here to complement scholarly criticism in the twentieth century.Less
This Conclusion presents some final thoughts. The Conclusion indicates that this book's detailed discussion on redaction criticism, historical and literary criticism, and other approaches hopes to have provided supplementary information for the interpretation presented here to complement scholarly criticism in the twentieth century.
Reinhard G. Kratz
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198728771
- eISBN:
- 9780191795503
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198728771.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Judaism
At the center of this book lies a fundamental yet unanswered question: under which historical and sociological conditions and in which manner the Hebrew Bible became an authoritative tradition, that ...
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At the center of this book lies a fundamental yet unanswered question: under which historical and sociological conditions and in which manner the Hebrew Bible became an authoritative tradition, that is, holy scripture and the canon of Judaism as well as Christianity. The book answers this very question by distinguishing between historical and biblical Israel. This foundational and, for the arrangement of the book, crucial distinction affirms that the Israel of biblical tradition, i.e. the sacred history (historia sacra) of the Hebrew Bible, cannot simply be equated with the history of Israel and Judah. Thus, this book provides a synthesis of both the Israelite and Judahite history and the genesis and development of biblical tradition in two separate chapters, though each area depends directly and inevitably upon the other. These two distinct perspectives on Israel are then confronted and correlated in a third chapter, which constitutes an area intimately connected with the former but generally overlooked apart from specialized inquiries: those places and “archives” that either yielded Jewish documents and manuscripts (Elephantine, Al-Yahudu, Qumran) or associate conspicuously with the tradition of the Hebrew Bible (Mount Gerizim, Jerusalem, Alexandria). Here, the various epigraphic and literary evidence for the history of Israel and Judah comes to the fore. Such evidence sometimes represents Israel’s history; other times it reflects its traditions; still others it reflects both simultaneously. The different sources point to different types of Judean or Jewish identity in Persian and Hellenistic times.Less
At the center of this book lies a fundamental yet unanswered question: under which historical and sociological conditions and in which manner the Hebrew Bible became an authoritative tradition, that is, holy scripture and the canon of Judaism as well as Christianity. The book answers this very question by distinguishing between historical and biblical Israel. This foundational and, for the arrangement of the book, crucial distinction affirms that the Israel of biblical tradition, i.e. the sacred history (historia sacra) of the Hebrew Bible, cannot simply be equated with the history of Israel and Judah. Thus, this book provides a synthesis of both the Israelite and Judahite history and the genesis and development of biblical tradition in two separate chapters, though each area depends directly and inevitably upon the other. These two distinct perspectives on Israel are then confronted and correlated in a third chapter, which constitutes an area intimately connected with the former but generally overlooked apart from specialized inquiries: those places and “archives” that either yielded Jewish documents and manuscripts (Elephantine, Al-Yahudu, Qumran) or associate conspicuously with the tradition of the Hebrew Bible (Mount Gerizim, Jerusalem, Alexandria). Here, the various epigraphic and literary evidence for the history of Israel and Judah comes to the fore. Such evidence sometimes represents Israel’s history; other times it reflects its traditions; still others it reflects both simultaneously. The different sources point to different types of Judean or Jewish identity in Persian and Hellenistic times.
