The Rape of Dinah: Luther's Interpretation of a Biblical Narrative
In their moral and allegorical interpretations of the story of the rape of Dinah (Genesis 34), many patristic and medieval interpreters reveal their assumptions about the victim's complicity in sexual attacks. These interpreters suggest that victims provoke rape and succumb to their own lust as...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Sixteenth Century Journal Publishers, Inc.
1997
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In: |
The sixteenth century journal
Year: 1997, Volume: 28, Issue: 3, Pages: 775-791 |
Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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Summary: | In their moral and allegorical interpretations of the story of the rape of Dinah (Genesis 34), many patristic and medieval interpreters reveal their assumptions about the victim's complicity in sexual attacks. These interpreters suggest that victims provoke rape and succumb to their own lust as they are violated. Martin Luther interprets the story from the perspective of Dinah's father, the patriarch Jacob. While he shares with earlier exegetes the belief in the perils that await women who leave the protective confines of their homes, Luther differs from the medieval interpreters n his insistence that Dinah was an innocent victim of unprovoked violence. Attending to the literal meaning of the text, Luther focuses on the interior anguish of Jacob, who mourned the injury done to his young daughter. |
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ISSN: | 2326-0726 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: The sixteenth century journal
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/2542991 |