Violence in the Hebrew Bible: Between Text and Reception. Edited by Jacques van Ruiten and Koert van Bekkum

Abstract

There is a sharp dichotomy in existence in contemporary biblical studies and hermeneutics. On the one hand is a school of thinking which is content—even eager—to unmoor the text entirely from its traditional interpretations and its ‘original meaning’. On the other is an ongoing tradition of critical study which has developed enormously in recent years but continues in an unbroken line from its forebears, and appears indifferent to challenges from the reception-critical side. But the space between these positions, though contested, can be a fertile one. It is within this space that this book, Violence in the Hebrew Bible: Between Text and Reception, seeks to operate. The book is a collection of papers (all written in English) presented at the triply joint meeting of the Oudtestamentisch Werkgezelschap in Nederland en België (the Society for Old Testament Study in the Netherlands and Belgium), the British Society for Old Testament Study, and Die Ou-Testamentische Werkgemeenskap van Suid Afrika (Old Testament Society of South Africa) held in 2018. As such, it comprises principally contributions from these four countries. Perhaps it is a reflection of the historical Dutch–Afrikaans link, but I was disappointed not to see more contributions from Black scholars. (I think they comprised three of the eighteen contributors.)