“If I Be Shaven, Then My Strength Will Go from Me” : A Queer Reading of the Samson Narrative
Samson is well known for his long hair and exceptional strength. Most commentators, however, have overlooked the fact that it is Samson himself who constructs a connection between his hair and his strength. He had considered his hairstyle a sign of his hypermasculine identity instead of a demarcatio...
| Altri titoli: | Hegemonic Masculinities in the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Traditions |
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| Autore principale: | |
| Tipo di documento: | Elettronico Articolo |
| Lingua: | Inglese |
| Verificare la disponibilità: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Pubblicazione: |
2015
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| In: |
Biblical interpretation
Anno: 2015, Volume: 23, Fascicolo: 4/5, Pagine: 553-573 |
| Notazioni IxTheo: | FD Teologia contestuale HB Antico Testamento NCF Etica della sessualità |
| Altre parole chiave: | B
Uomo
B Sessualità B Capelli B Simson Personaggio biblico B gender Judges Old Testament queer criticism sexuality violence B Bibel. Giudice B Violenza |
| Accesso online: |
Accesso probabilmente gratuito Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Edizione parallela: | Non elettronico
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| Riepilogo: | Samson is well known for his long hair and exceptional strength. Most commentators, however, have overlooked the fact that it is Samson himself who constructs a connection between his hair and his strength. He had considered his hairstyle a sign of his hypermasculine identity instead of a demarcation of his Naziriteship. Reading the Samson narrative from a queer perspective, this article shows how Samson’s “heterosexuality” is produced, appears, and dissolves back into queerness. Samson’s hypermasculinity is a covering for his queer identity and results in his construction of several interrelated dualisms (Israel/Philistines, male/female, strong/weak, etc.) and in his excessive use of violence (physical, sexual, rhetorical, symbolic) against both women and men. When he meets a woman (Delilah) who doesn’t fit in his phallogocentric ideology, he reveals his secret through a non-genital erotic play (BDSM) with her and loses his strength when she symbolically castrates him by cutting his hair.
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| Descrizione fisica: | Online-Ressource |
| ISSN: | 1568-5152 |
| Comprende: | In: Biblical interpretation
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15685152-02345p05 |
