Overview

This book examines many of the laws in the Torah governing sexual relations and the often implicit motivations underlying them. It also considers texts beyond the laws in which legal traditions and ideas concerning sexual behavior intersect and provide insight into ancient Israel’s social norms. The book includes extended treatments on the nature and function of marriage and divorce in ancient Israel, the variation in sexual rules due to status and gender, the prohibition on male-with-male sex, and the different types of sexualities that may have existed in ancient Israel. The essays draw on a variety of methodologies and approaches, including narrative criticism, philological analysis, literary theory, feminist and gender theory, anthropological models, and comparative analysis. They cover content ranging from the narratives in Genesis, to the laws of Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, to later re-interpretations of pentateuchal laws in Jeremiah and texts from the Second Temple period. Overall, the book presents a combination of theoretical discussion and close textual analysis to shed new light on the connections between law and sexuality within the Torah and beyond.

Full Product Details

Author:   Hilary Lipka (University of New Mexico, USA) ,  Bruce Wells (University of Austin, USA)
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   T.& T.Clark Ltd
Weight:   0.485kg
ISBN:  

9780567703828

ISBN 10:   0567703827
Pages:   344
Publication Date:   18 November 2021
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

Preface Abbreviations List of Contributors Introduction Hilary Lipka and Bruce Wells Chapter 1. Categories of Sexuality Indigenous to Biblical Legal Materials David Tabb Stewart Chapter 2. The Daughter Sold into Slavery and Marriage Pamela Barmash Chapter 3. Rachel's Betrothal Contract and the Origins of Contract Law F. Rachel Magdalene Chapter 4. Judah, Tamar, and the Law of Levirate Marriage Eryl W. Davies Chapter 5. On the Beds of a Woman: The Leviticus Texts on Same-Sex Relations Reconsidered Bruce Wells Chapter 6. The Offense, Its Consequences, and the Meaning of ??? in Leviticus 19:29 Hilary Lipka Chapter 7. Priestly Marriage Restrictions Sarah Shectman Chapter 8. The Inheritance Injunction of Numbers 36: Zelophehad's Daughters and the Intersection of Land Inheritance and Sex Regulation M. L. Case Chapter 9. Reproducing Torah: Human and Divine Sexuality in the Book of Deuteronomy Steffan Mathias Chapter 10. Divorce in Archaic Crete: Comparative Perspectives on Deuteronomy 24:1-4 Anselm C. Hagedorn Chapter 11. Divorce Instruction and Covenantal Unfaithfulness: A New Examination of the Reuse of Deuteronomy 24:1-4 as Metaphor in Jeremiah 3:1-10 Kenneth Bergland Chapter 12. Sexual Relations and the Transition from Holy People to Human Sanctuary in Second Temple Times Hannah Harrington Index of Ancient Sources Index of Subjects Index of Authors

Reviews

This is a useful collection with some moments of real insight into the topics considered, and will certainly be of interest to anyone working in the area of biblical law and sexuality. * Journal for the Study of the Old Testament *

Author Information

Hilary Lipka is an instructor in the Religious Studies Department at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. Bruce Wells is Associate Professor in the Middle Eastern Studies Department at the University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas, USA.

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