Gossip and gender : othering of speech in the Pastoral Epistles / Marianne Bjelland Kartzow.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kartzow, Marianne Bjelland, 1971-

Series:

Beihefte zur Zeitschrift fur die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der alteren Kirche ; Beiheft 164.

Beihefte zur Zeitschrift fur die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der alteren Kirche ; Bd. 164.

Beihefte zur Zeitschrift fur die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der alteren Kirche ; Bd. 164

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gossip--Biblical teaching.

Gossip.

Gossip in literature.

Sex role--Religious aspects--Christianity--History of doctrines--Early church, ca. 30-600.

Sex role.

Women--Religious aspects--Christianity--History of doctrines--Early church, ca. 30-600.

Women.

Bible. Pastoral Epistles--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bible.

Bible. Pastoral Epistles--Feminist criticism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (256 p.)

Place of Publication:

Berlin ; New York : Walter de Gruyter, c2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This book suggests that gossip can be used as an interpretive key to understand more of early Christian identity and theology. Insights from the multi disciplinary field of gossip studies help to interpret what role gossip plays, especially in relation to how power and authority are distributed and promoted. A presentation of various texts in Greek, Hebrew and Latin shows that the relation between gossip and gender is complex: to gossip was typical for all women and risky for elite men who constantly had to defend their masculinity. Frequently the Pastoral Epistles connect gossip to false teaching, as an expression of deviance. On several occasions it is argued that various categories of women have to avoid gossip to be entrusted duties or responsibilities. "Old wives' tales" are associated with heresy, contrasted to godliness in which one had to train one self. Other passages clearly suggest that the false teaching resembles feminine gossip by use of metaphorical language: profane words will spread fast and uncontrolled like cancer; what the false teachers say is tickling in the ear, and their mouth must be stopped or silenced. The Pastoral Epistles employ terms drawn from the stereotype of gossip as rhetorical devices in order to undermine the masculinity and hence the authority, of the opponents.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgements

Notes on abbreviations, texts, and translations

Introduction

Chapter 1. Gossip and gender

Chapter 2. Identifying the ancient gossip discourse

Chapter 3. Ancient representations of female gossip

Chapter 4. The Pastoral Epistles and gender discourses

Chapter 5. Representations of female Gossipers in the Pastoral Epistles

Chapter 6. Gossip and masculinity

Chapter 7. Gossip and gender - final reflections

Backmatter

Notes:

Based on the author's thesis (doctoral--Universitetet i Oslo, 2007).

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN:

9786612456725

9781282456723

1282456725

9783110215649

3110215640

OCLC:

609852895