The matriarchs in Genesis rabbah
Preface Acknowledgments Abbreviations 1. Introduction 2. Rabbinic Midrash: An Introduction -- 3. 'The Matriarchs' -- 4. Preface to Part II: The Matriarchal Cycle 5. Barrenness -- 6. Motherhood 7. Legitimacy and Succession 8. The Rabbis and the Matriarchs as Women -- 9. Conclusions -- Bibli...
| Summary: | Preface Acknowledgments Abbreviations 1. Introduction 2. Rabbinic Midrash: An Introduction -- 3. 'The Matriarchs' -- 4. Preface to Part II: The Matriarchal Cycle 5. Barrenness -- 6. Motherhood 7. Legitimacy and Succession 8. The Rabbis and the Matriarchs as Women -- 9. Conclusions -- Bibliography -- Index "Katie J. Woolstenhulme considers the pertinent question: Who were 'the matriarchs', and what did the rabbis think about them? Whilst scholarship on the role of women in the Bible and rabbinic Judaism has greatly increased, the authoritative group of women known as 'the matriarchs' has been neglected. This volume consequently focuses on the role and status of the biblical matriarchs in Genesis Rabbah, the fifth century CE rabbinic Jewish commentary on Genesis. Woolstenhulme begins by exploring definitions in Genesis Rabbah, such as the nature of midrash, the nature of the term 'matriarchs', the development of the term throughout early exegetical literature, and the two definitions that have emerged - the legitimate wives of Israel's patriarchs, and a reference to Jacob's four wives, who bore Israel's tribal ancestors. She then moves to discuss 'the matriarchal cycle' in Genesis Rabbah, and its three stages: barrenness; motherhood; and succession. Finally Woolstenhulme considers Genesis Rabbah's portrayal of the matriarchs as representatives of the female sex, exploring the positive and negative rabbinic attitudes towards women such as piety, prayer, praise, beauty and sexuality, and how the matriarchs occasionally exemplify stereotypical, negative female traits. This volume concludes that for the ancient rabbis, the matriarchs were the historical mothers of Israel, bearing covenant sons, but also the present mothers of Israel, continuing to influence Jewish identity"-- |
|---|---|
| Item Description: | Revised version of the author's doctoral dissertation submitted to Durham University, Durham, England, 2017 Includes bibliographical references and index |
| Physical Description: | 1 Online-Ressource (240 pages) |
| Format: | Mode of access: World Wide Web. |
| ISBN: | 0567695751 |
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.5040/9780567695758 |