What's in a Name? Book Titles in the Torah and Former Prophets
All the biblical books have received names, and these names guide or misguide the reader who seeks to make sense of what is read. Using the four possible functions of a title as posited by Gérard Genette, this article surveys and evaluates from a hermeneutical point of view the alternative names ass...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage Publ.
2007
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| In: |
Pacifica
Year: 2007, Volume: 20, Issue: 3, Pages: 262-277 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | All the biblical books have received names, and these names guide or misguide the reader who seeks to make sense of what is read. Using the four possible functions of a title as posited by Gérard Genette, this article surveys and evaluates from a hermeneutical point of view the alternative names assigned to the nine books that make up the Torah and Former Prophets. The various titles influence reading and suggest ways of understanding the particular book. They are in effect a commentary upon the biblical text. In so far as a title highlights one feature of a book but ignores another (whether it focuses on form or content), no title is neutral nor can it simply be taken for granted. Titles are an element of the paratext of Scripture that fossilise alternative ways in which previous generations of readers have understood the text. They can also help to generate new and improved ways of reading an ancient text. |
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| ISSN: | 1839-2598 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Pacifica
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/1030570X0702000302 |