The feminized hero in Second Temple Judaism / Lawrence M. Wills.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wills, Lawrence M. (Lawrence Mitchell), 1954- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bible. Apocrypha--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bible.

Judaism--History--Post-exilic period, 586 B.C.-210 A.D.

Judaism.

Men in the Bible.

Masculinity in the Bible.

Women in the Bible.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (ix, 168 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2024.

Summary:

The turbulent Second Temple period produced searching biblical texts whose protagonists, unlike heroes like Noah, Abraham, and Moses, were more everyday figures who expressed their moral uncertainties more vocally. Reflecting on a new type of Jewish moral agent, these tales depict men who are feminized, and women who are masculinized. In this volume, Lawrence M. Wills offers a deep interrogation of these stories, uncovering the psychological aspects of Jewish identity, moral life, and decisions that they explore. Often written as novellas, the stories investigate emotions, psychological interiorizing, the self, agency, and character. Recent insights from gender and postcolonial theory inform Wills' study, as he shows how one can study and compare modern and ancient gender constructs. Wills also reconstructs the social fabric of the Second Temple period and demonstrates how a focus on emotions, the self, and moral psychology, often associated with both ancient Greek and modern literature, are present in biblical texts, albeit in a subtle, unassuming manner.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 10 Jan 2025).

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

9781009487122

1009487124

9781009487153

1009487159

9781009487146

1009487140