From Eve to Esther

by Bronner, Leila Leah

• ISBN13: 9780664255428
• ISBN10: 0664255426
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1995-01-01
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Pr

Summary

This is the first book-length attempt to examine the attitude of the ancient rabbis towards some of the most significant feminine figures in the Old Testament. It traces the biblical stories, examines their objectives and methods, and discusses how these original intentions were altered--sometimes beyond recognition--when the women discussed in them were subjected to the unique exegetical technique of midrash.The Gender and the Biblical Tradition series brings to a wide audience important new discoveries concerning women and the Bible, ancient Israel, and early Christianity. The books explore the role of sexuality within the biblical tradition and document the continuing influence of biblical treatments of gender on subsequent life and thought.

Author Biography

Leila Leah Bronner teaches at the Institute of Jewish Studies in Los Angeles.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Introduction: "She Shall Be Called 'Woman'"	p. xiii
Aggadic Attitudes toward Women	p. 1
Eve's Estate: Temptation, Modesty, and the Valorization of Matrimony	p. 22
Serah bat Asher: The Transformative Power of Aggadic Invention	p. 42
The Regime of Modesty: Ruth and the Rabbinic Construction of the Feminine Ideal	p. 61
"Remember Thy Handmaid": On Hannah and Prayer	p. 87
"The King's Daughter Is All Glorious Within": The Estate of Daughterhood	p. 111
Hope for the Harlot: The Estate of the Marginalized Woman	p. 142
"Deborah, Say Your Song": Female Prophecy in Talmudic Tradition	p. 163
Conclusion: Complexity and Contradiction in the Rabbinic Construction of Woman	p. 185
Bibliography	p. 187
Index of Names and Subjects	p. 199
Index of Rabbinic References	p. 209
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