Journal of Hebrew Scriptures (JHS)
Not a member yet
1154 research outputs found
Sort by
The Complexity of Verbal Semantics—An Intricate Relationship Between Qatal and Wayyiqtol
Get PDFThis article analyzes the relationship that exists between the qatal and wayyiqtol forms in Biblical Hebrew. It provides a twofold approach, based on complexity theory, fuzziology, cognitive linguistics and the theory of dynamic semantic maps, on the one hand, as well as on an original empirical study involving all the instances of the two grams in the book of Genesis, on the other. As a result, the article advances a model of an intricate, multi-level and dynamic interaction of qatal and wayyiqtol in terms of two kinetic waves that spread along a grammaticalization channel recursively used in the language—in this case, the resultative stream
“Not in the Spaces We Know”: An Exploration of Science Fiction and the Bible: Edited by Frauke Uhlenbruch
Get PDFThe present issue is a collection of essays which were originally presented as conference papers at the “Science Fiction and the Bible” unit of the European Association of Biblical Studies in Leipzig (2013) and Vienna (2014). It includes an introduction by the editor, Frauke Uhlenbruch, as well as a response by James F. McGrath
Sheol, the Tomb, and the Problem of Postmortem Existence
Get PDFThe Hebrew Bible often portrays Sheol in a manner evocative of the tomb. In texts such as Psalm 88 the tomb is a dreary and isolating symbol. Yet this contrasts with the positive role of the family tomb where the dead are reunited with their ancestors. The ritual analysis of Judahite bench tombs, however, reveals a dynamic concept of death. This suggests that the varying images of the tomb in biblical literature were not contradictory, but reflective of a process of dying that began with burial
Review of Shaw, Frank, The Earliest Non-Mystical Jewish Use of Ιαω (Contributions to Biblical Exegesis and Theology, 70; Leuven/Paris/Walpole, MA: Peeters, 2014).
No full textReview of Boyd-Taylor, Cameron (ed.), A Question of Methodology: Albert Pietersma, Collected Essays on the Septuagint (BTS, 14; Leuven: Peeters, 2013).
No full textThe Jeroboam Story in the (Re)Formulation of Israelite Identity: Evaluating the Literary-Ideological Purposes of 1 Kings 11–14
Get PDFThe story of Jeroboam\u27s secession from the Solomonic “empire” is an integral element of the process of identity reformulation within which context “Biblical Israel” asserted its antiquity. While this reading yields a greater understanding of its final form, it disassociates it from constituent elements preserving earlier versions. From an archaeological and historiographical point of view, this article examines those elements to argue that this complex accretion of collective memories has more to tell us about Israel\u27s developing identity than first meets the eye
Review of Muldoon, Catherine L., In Defense of Divine Justice: An Intertextual Approach to the Book of Jonah (CBQMS, 47; Washington D.C.: Catholic Biblical Association of America, 2010).
No full textHas Lot Lost the Plot? Detail Omission and a Reconsideration of Genesis 19
Get PDFThis article argues for a new understanding of Lot\u27s shocking offer of his daughters in Genesis 19 on the basis of “unknown detail omission.” The narrator exploits ambiguities in the narrative to fool the reader into condemning Lot\u27s character. However, when the narrator reveals a key detail previously unmentioned, the reader is surprised and forced to re-evaluate the entire episode. This frames Lot\u27s shocking offer in a new light, and the reader comes to a new conclusion about Lot\u27s character
Narrative Toledot Formulae in Genesis: The Case of Heaven and Earth, Noah, and Isaac
Get PDFThis paper reexamines the literary function of the narrative toledot formulae in Genesis, claiming that the formula thrice (Gen 2:4; 6:9; 25:19) introduces a passage about the specified father rather than one solely about his sons. This finding is based on a philological analysis of the word toledot and the formula\u27s unique literary design in these three instances. This reading illuminates the inner tension between renewal and continuity in the Flood narrative; leads to the exposure of a unit about Isaac within the patriarchal cycles; and offers a new understanding of chapter 1\u27s exclusion from the toledot framework
