{"title":"Apocalyptic Visions and Revisions of the End in the Writings","authors":"Bennie H. Reynolds","doi":"10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190212438.013.24","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190212438.013.24","url":null,"abstract":"Apocalyptic literature demonstrates an obsession with time. This chapter suggests that the elaborate descriptions and predictions of world history found in apocalypses produced an intrinsic need within apocalyptic communities for textual revision. Since apocalypses are framed as revelations, it was no simple matter to change them. Apocalyptic communities developed the practice of revelatory exegesis in order to revise failed prophecies and revitalize them for the contemporary events and concerns. This chapter analyzes Daniel 9 and 12, 4 Ezra, 4QApocryphon of Jeremiah, and 1QPesher Habakkuk in order to highlight how apocalyptic writers and communities used revelatory exegesis to revise failed prophecies.","PeriodicalId":395748,"journal":{"name":"The Oxford Handbook of the Writings of the Hebrew Bible","volume":"102 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124675930","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Wisdom of Desire in the Song of Songs","authors":"C. Walsh","doi":"10.1093/OXFORDHB/9780190212438.013.11","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/OXFORDHB/9780190212438.013.11","url":null,"abstract":"The Song of Songs offers a unique discussion of the experience of sexual longing through dialogues of an unnamed woman and man. The chapter focuses on the use of dialogic structure to frame three prominent discourses of desire: aesthetic appreciation, affective description, and subjective expressions of sexual arousal. These varied discourses affirm a polyphonic view on human desire from the embodied experience of the male and female voices of the Song. With its use of dialogue, the Song is characteristic of the Writings in offering a diversity of perspectives. The chapter further probes the canonical contribution of the Song’s testimony to human longing, sex, joy, and biodiversity.","PeriodicalId":395748,"journal":{"name":"The Oxford Handbook of the Writings of the Hebrew Bible","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"117245415","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ancient Near Eastern Religions and the Writings","authors":"D. Snell","doi":"10.1093/OXFORDHB/9780190212438.013.18","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/OXFORDHB/9780190212438.013.18","url":null,"abstract":"A survey of the Writings shows surprisingly little contact with the religious environment of the Ancient Near East, in which Jews lived in the late first millennium bce. The reasons for this lack do not derive from lack of opportunity but from the self-confidence of the Jewish tradition in the face of polytheism. This finding seems to show that the sense of Judaism as all-sufficient and convincingly monotheistic had been established at least in the minds of the people who brought together the Writings. Although Jews in the late first century bce were exposed to a cacophony of other religious traditions, their interactions do not show up in the Writings, except as critiques or mocking of other traditions.","PeriodicalId":395748,"journal":{"name":"The Oxford Handbook of the Writings of the Hebrew Bible","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124831312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Chronicles and the Writings","authors":"John C. Endres","doi":"10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190212438.013.14","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190212438.013.14","url":null,"abstract":"This chapter reviews recent scholarly opinions on the date and setting of the Books of Chronicles, different approaches to the study of this book, and related issues. Whereas much of the modern study of these books has taken the lead of Wellhausen and considered Chronicles in view of the similar “history” in Samuel and Kings, this study focuses more on synchronic issues, for example, literary appreciation of the texts and intertextual relationships with other books in the Writings/Ketuvim. It presents several historical views on the “location” of 1–2 Chronicles within the Writings. The final section samples relationships with the Books of Daniel, Ruth, Esther, and Psalms. The intertextual connections with Psalms are the most abundant and raise important questions about postexilic worship, the use of Psalms in narratives, and contemporary theories about Psalms texts at Qumran.","PeriodicalId":395748,"journal":{"name":"The Oxford Handbook of the Writings of the Hebrew Bible","volume":"80 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134061523","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Postexilic Poetic Traditions in the Writings","authors":"S. Gillingham","doi":"10.1093/OXFORDHB/9780190212438.013.29","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/OXFORDHB/9780190212438.013.29","url":null,"abstract":"This chapter examines six poetic books, under the headings of liturgical poetry (Psalms, Lamentations), dramatic poetry (Job, Song), and didactic poetry (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes). It assesses, first, the particular features of all biblical poetry, in terms of style and formal structures, and, second, the reasons for ascribing these six books as postexilic works. Each book is then discussed in detail. Particular attention is paid to their poetic style and structures, to their compilation as a whole, and to their reception history: the latter in particular testifies to an ongoing “performative” potential, whether for the synagogue, church, classroom, theatre, concert hall, or as a work of art. The chapter concludes that each book shares several poetic features in common, but what really unites them is their detachment from any single spatial or temporal setting, each being “timeless” as literature and so “universal” in use.","PeriodicalId":395748,"journal":{"name":"The Oxford Handbook of the Writings of the Hebrew Bible","volume":"237 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124606800","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reimagining Community Past and Present in Ezra and Nehemiah","authors":"M. D. Knowles","doi":"10.1093/OXFORDHB/9780190212438.013.13","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/OXFORDHB/9780190212438.013.13","url":null,"abstract":"As the books of Ezra and Nehemiah employ literary modes and genres to reconstruct the past, they construct and promote a distinct definition of community. The variety of modes and genres perform literary functions such as characterization and plot development even as they enact ideological ones by promoting attitudes about key social markers. Working through sections of the books in order, this chapter examines the modes of direct, dramatic, and documentary narrative in connection with genres such as prayer, list, genealogy, and “memoir,” to see the ways in which the books construe their religion and their community anew in the Persian period. The accounts of the rebuilding of the temple and wall construct a vision of the Diaspora community working together with Yehud, supported by their powerful God who is using the Persian imperium to enact the divine way in the world.","PeriodicalId":395748,"journal":{"name":"The Oxford Handbook of the Writings of the Hebrew Bible","volume":"20 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116850331","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Writings in the Christian Bible","authors":"M. Elliott","doi":"10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190212438.013.20","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190212438.013.20","url":null,"abstract":"The place for an account of the Writings that is Christian in light of the New Testament is considered along with what one might make of them in their canonical place within the Hebrew Bible. A Christian reading is only in part the reception of the Old Testament by the New Testament. The theology of as disparate a collection as the Writings can only really be a theology of each of them. Nevertheless, a steer is given by the large and most significant Psalter with its account of God’s special providence, followed by Wisdom books and the attached Megilloth, with Daniel and the historical books with their sacred history coming later as much in terms of logic as of chronology. The interests are wider and more universal than simply the salvation and preservation of Israel, even if that does not cease from being a deeply felt theme.","PeriodicalId":395748,"journal":{"name":"The Oxford Handbook of the Writings of the Hebrew Bible","volume":"742 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122006767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Lamentations and Canon","authors":"Scott A. Ellington","doi":"10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190212438.013.22","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190212438.013.22","url":null,"abstract":"Lamentations uses distinct voices to explore the suffering caused by the destruction of Jerusalem and exile of her people. A dialogical approach to the book emphasizes the theological tension created as the poet considers the fate of Israel’s relationship with Yahweh. This dialogue is carried on at multiple levels, within the text itself, over against the silenced divine voice, between Lamentations and other books in the biblical canon, and between the text and its later interpreters. Utilizing the language of prayer and drawing on the divine name, Lamentations centers on the question of God’s continued presence with the Israel. A faithful rendering and reception of Lamentations attends to the multiple voices of the text, respects and provides place for their varied perspectives and contributions, identifies and engages with the community they address and of which they are a part, maintains space for an unspeaking God, and guards the open-ended question which is at the heart of this troubling exchange.","PeriodicalId":395748,"journal":{"name":"The Oxford Handbook of the Writings of the Hebrew Bible","volume":"77 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"120987141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reading Proverbs as a Book in the Writings","authors":"J. Steinberg","doi":"10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190212438.013.5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190212438.013.5","url":null,"abstract":"The chapter approaches Proverbs as a book, that is, as a conceptual unit with an overall communicative purpose, rather than just a collection of individual sayings. The chapter reflects on the built-in system of seven main headings that provide guidance for an understanding of the book as a whole. For each of the seven main sections, literary forms and theological meaning are analyzed. Topics dealt with include the “Fear of the Lord;” how wisdom can be acquired and for what purpose; the connection between wisdom and creation theology; the paradigmatic character and the persuasive purpose of proverbial wisdom; the formation of the book of Proverbs; and the book of Proverbs in the context of Old Testament wisdom. The chapter closes with some issues for practical application in a church context.","PeriodicalId":395748,"journal":{"name":"The Oxford Handbook of the Writings of the Hebrew Bible","volume":"11 6","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121009018","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Canonical Shape and Function of the Writings","authors":"T. Stone","doi":"10.1093/OXFORDHB/9780190212438.013.31","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/OXFORDHB/9780190212438.013.31","url":null,"abstract":"This chapter examines the arrangement of the books of the Writings and concludes that they have a purposeful shape. The level of canonical integration varies among this diverse collection, but there are signs that some books have been edited and/or arranged to highlight particular relationships between books. Within the Hebrew Bible, catchwords or phrases indicate a book’s purposeful placement, and there are signs of this in the case of Ruth and Esther. Among the vast array of historical information on the shape of the canon, Josephus and 4 Ezra are essential witnesses to the canon’s closure and shape in the first century ce. The internal and external evidence indicates that some of the books in the Writings were juxtaposed by design. Rather than an anthology of unrelated books, the collection grew up together in a complex symbiotic relationship.","PeriodicalId":395748,"journal":{"name":"The Oxford Handbook of the Writings of the Hebrew Bible","volume":"13 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2018-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124045122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}