The Reception of Jeremiah in Modern Hebrew Literature

Michael Avioz

doi:10.3390/rel13030215

Abstract

Looking at some illustrative examples of the reception of Jeremiah in modern Hebrew literature, this article explores how both the prophet and the book named after him were reworked by modern Hebrew authors and poets in the body of literary works in Hebrew that emerged during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in Europe in the wake of the Enlightenment.

Highlights

The Hebrew Bible has been a source of inspiration for Jewish authors throughout the ages, from the Pseudepigrapha, Qumran library, rabbinic corpus, and medieval works to modern Jewish literature
This paper explores the legacy of Jeremiah in modern Hebrew literature and poetry— i.e., the literature that emerged in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in Europe following the Enlightenment
This paper reviews the reuse of Jeremiah in modern Hebrew literature

Summary

Introduction

The Hebrew Bible has been a source of inspiration for Jewish authors throughout the ages, from the Pseudepigrapha, Qumran library, rabbinic corpus, and medieval works to modern Jewish literature. 3) adduces six attitudes modern literary works display towards the Hebrew Bible: (1) Dismissal (primarily amongst militant groups); (2) actualization—the blending of sacred elements from the past with present outlooks; (3) a spiritual identification; (4) a romantic approach—an innocent approach to the text and recognition of subjective processing by the creator; (5) a classicism that focuses on interpreting the source; and (6) a modernist treatment—revising biblical motifs while breaking domain boundaries. While a Jew living during the biblical or second Temple period typically regarded the biblical prophets as holy men or men of God, as secularization made inroads into modern Judaism, writers and thinkers began invoking the prophetic literature to critique Jewish society or for their own personal needs. Motivated by a very different agenda, those who cited Jeremiah subjected his message to contemporary norms and values

Jeremiah in Modern Hebrew Literature

Jeremiah in Agnon’s Works

Jeremiah in the Works of Women Poets

Conclusions