Your People, My People: An Exploration of Ethnicity in Ruth
This article reviews competing theories of ethnic identity to suggest different points in the book of Ruth at which Ruth the Moabite may become an Israelite. Close reading of the text favours the suggestion that Ruth enters the Israelite ethnie upon her acceptance by the Bethlehem community in ch. 4...
| Published in: | Journal for the study of the Old Testament |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage
2009
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| In: |
Journal for the study of the Old Testament
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| Further subjects: | B
Ruth
B Ethnicity B Ethnology B Anthropology B Primordialism B Constructivism B Ezra—Nehemiah |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Electronic
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| Summary: | This article reviews competing theories of ethnic identity to suggest different points in the book of Ruth at which Ruth the Moabite may become an Israelite. Close reading of the text favours the suggestion that Ruth enters the Israelite ethnie upon her acceptance by the Bethlehem community in ch. 4. This accords with a Constructivist vision of ethnic identity, where biological descent is not always necessary for ethnic belonging. Though the ethnic vision of Ruth is often supposed to contrast with that in Ezra—Nehemiah, the nuances of ethnological theory suggest a greater congruence between these two texts. The conclusion identifies some advantages and dangers of employing anthropological theory in biblical studies. |
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| ISSN: | 1476-6728 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the Old Testament
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0309089209102498 |