Overview

The book of Judges is full of characters of ambivalent moral integrity and acts of dubious propriety, such as Jael’s murder of Sisera and the sacrifice of Jephthah’s daughter. And yet the terse narrative and the reticent narrator frequently leave the ethical character of these actions in doubt. In order to avoid reading contemporary worldviews and ethics into this ancient text, Mary L. Conway applies a blend of narrative and functional linguistic theories to her analysis of the stories of the six major judges in an effort to more accurately identify the unifying ideological stance of the book. Using an interdisciplinary approach that employs the concepts of narrative perspective alongside appraisal theory, Conway evaluates the judges within their historical context in order to determine whether their actions are normative or aberrant. The lexicogrammatical and ideational evidence produced by this methodology reveals contrasts and trajectories within and across the narratives that, Conway argues, give insight into the character and actions of the Israelites and YHWH and the relationship between them. In this trailblazing study, Conway models a new approach to biblical interpretation that lays bare the ethics of the book of Judges. It will be of interest to biblical studies scholars, in particular Old Testament scholars, as well as seminary students and pastors.

Full Product Details

Author:   Mary L. Conway (McMaster Divinity College)
Publisher:   Pennsylvania State University Press
Imprint:   Eisenbrauns
Volume:   15
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.703kg
ISBN:  

9781575067247

ISBN 10:   1575067242
Pages:   392
Publication Date:   02 November 2019
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables Acknowledgments Abbreviations Chapter 1. Introduction 1.1. Rationale 1 1.2. Previous Approaches to Judges 1.3. Overview of This Study Chapter 2. The Background to Appraisal Theory 2.1. Purpose 2.2. Martin and White’s Original Appraisal Theory 2.3. Representation of Appraisal in System Networks 2.4. Appraisal Theory in Martin and Rose 2.5. The Need for a Revised Appraisal Model Chapter 3. The Narrative Appraisal Model 3.1. The Revised Model 3.2. Summary of Changes 3.3. The Appraisal Model and Its Adaptation to Hebrew Narrative 3.4. The Narrative Appraisal Model 3.5. Components of the Narrative APPRAISAL Network 3.6. The APPRAISAL Analysis Tables 3.7. Procedure: Moving from the APPRAISAL Tables to Interpretation 3.8. Conclusion Chapter 4. The Second Introduction (Judges 2:6–3:11) 4.1. Purpose 4.2. Introductory Remarks 4.3. The Double Introduction and the Deuteronomistic Question 4.4. Definition of Judge 4.5. Analysis of the Text Chapter 5. The Ehud Narrative (Judges 3:12–30) 5.1. Purpose 5.2. Introductory Remarks 5.3. Analysis of the Text 5.4. Conclusions Chapter 6. The Deborah-Barak-Jael Narrative (Judges 4) 6.1. Introductory Remarks 6.2. Analysis of the Text 6.3. Conclusions Chapter 7. The Gideon Narrative (Judges 6–8) 7.1. Introductory Remarks 7.2. Analysis of the Text 7.3. Conclusions Chapter 8. The Jephthah Narrative (Judges 10:16–12:7) 8.1. Introductory Remarks 8.2. Analysis of the Text 8.3. Conclusions Chapter 9. The Samson Narrative (Judges 13:1–16:31) 9.1. Introductory Remarks 9.2. Analysis of the Text 9.3. Conclusion Chapter 10. Conclusion 10.1. Purpose 10.2. Introduction 10.3. Critique of the New Narrative Appraisal Model 10.4. Interpretive Conclusions 10.5. Suggestions for Further Research Appendix: APPRAISAL Table Bibliography Index of Scripture

Reviews

This is a helpful and positive monograph that offers important methodological developments in how we read the narratives of the Hebrew Bible and also helpful readings of the judges themselves. -David G. Firth, Review of Biblical Literature

Author Information

Mary L. Conway is Assistant Professor of Old Testament at McMaster Divinity College.

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