From Eve to Esther: Rabbinic Reconstructions of Biblical Women - Paperback

by Leila Leah Bronner (Author)

This is the first book-length attempt to examine the attitude of the ancient rabbis towards some of the most significant feminine figures in the Old Testament. It traces the biblical stories, examines their objectives and methods, and discusses how these original intentions were altered--sometimes beyond recognition--when the women discussed in them were subjected to the unique exegetical technique of midrash.

The Gender and the Biblical Tradition series brings to a wide audience important new discoveries concerning women and the Bible, ancient Israel, and early Christianity. The books explore the role of sexuality within the biblical tradition and document the continuing influence of biblical treatments of gender on subsequent life and thought.

Back Jacket

This is the first book-length attempt to focus on female biblical figures in the ancient rabbinic writings of midrash and Talmud. Primary rabbinic sources employed by the author bring new life and insight into the stories of Eve, Deborah, Hannah, Serah bat Asher, and others. As women and men today attempt to reevaluate past historical models, it serves us well to understand the values and inner workings of rabbinic thinking. The examination of what the sources actually say, and not what others would like them to have said, enable reinterpretation of women's role to proceed on an honest and authentic basis. Biblical women, reclaimed with contemporary midrash, can become paradigms for our modern lives.