War in the Hebrew Bible

A Study in the Ethics of Violence

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Judaism, Bible & Bible Studies, Bibles
Cover of the book War in the Hebrew Bible by Susan Niditch, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Susan Niditch ISBN: 9780190282714
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: June 29, 1995
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Susan Niditch
ISBN: 9780190282714
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: June 29, 1995
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Texts about war pervade the Hebrew Bible, raising challenging questions in religious and political ethics. The war passages that readers find most disquieting are those in which God demands the total annihilation of the enemy without regard to gender, age, or military status. The ideology of the "ban," however, is only one among a range of attitudes towards war preserved in the ancient Israelite literary tradition. Applying insights from anthropology, comparative literature, and feminist studies, Niditch considers a wide spectrum of war ideologies in the Hebrew Bible, seeking in each case to discover why and how these views might have made sense to biblical writers, who themselves can be seen to wrestle with the ethics of violence. The study of war thus also illuminates the social and cultural history of Israel, as war texts are found to map the world views of biblical writers from various periods and settings. Reviewing ways in which modern scholars have interpreted this controversial material, Niditch sheds further light on the normative assumptions that shape our understanding of ancient Israel. More widely, this work explores how human beings attempt to justify killing and violence while concentrating on the tones, textures, meanings, and messages of a particular corpus in the Hebrew Scriptures.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Texts about war pervade the Hebrew Bible, raising challenging questions in religious and political ethics. The war passages that readers find most disquieting are those in which God demands the total annihilation of the enemy without regard to gender, age, or military status. The ideology of the "ban," however, is only one among a range of attitudes towards war preserved in the ancient Israelite literary tradition. Applying insights from anthropology, comparative literature, and feminist studies, Niditch considers a wide spectrum of war ideologies in the Hebrew Bible, seeking in each case to discover why and how these views might have made sense to biblical writers, who themselves can be seen to wrestle with the ethics of violence. The study of war thus also illuminates the social and cultural history of Israel, as war texts are found to map the world views of biblical writers from various periods and settings. Reviewing ways in which modern scholars have interpreted this controversial material, Niditch sheds further light on the normative assumptions that shape our understanding of ancient Israel. More widely, this work explores how human beings attempt to justify killing and violence while concentrating on the tones, textures, meanings, and messages of a particular corpus in the Hebrew Scriptures.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book The Investment State by Susan Niditch
Cover of the book Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass by Susan Niditch
Cover of the book Deeply Divided by Susan Niditch
Cover of the book The Literary Imagination in Jewish Antiquity by Susan Niditch
Cover of the book The Alcoholic Republic : An American Tradition by Susan Niditch
Cover of the book Knowing by Susan Niditch
Cover of the book The Nature of Clinical Medicine by Susan Niditch
Cover of the book Broadway Yearbook 2001-2002 by Susan Niditch
Cover of the book Listening to War by Susan Niditch
Cover of the book Clients and Constituents by Susan Niditch
Cover of the book The Disrupted Workplace by Susan Niditch
Cover of the book The Thirty-Nine Steps by Susan Niditch
Cover of the book Moral, Believing Animals by Susan Niditch
Cover of the book Copyright's Paradox by Susan Niditch
Cover of the book Origins of Slavery: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Susan Niditch
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy