Queer Theory and the Prophetic Marriage Metaphor in the Hebrew Bible

by Stuart Macwilliam

Overview

The Hebrew Bible offers a metaphor of marriage that portrays men and women as complementary, each with their distinct and 'natural' roles. Queer Theory and the Prophetic Marriage Metaphor in the Hebrew Bible draws on contemporary scholarship to critique this hetero-normativity. The book examines the methodological issues involved in the application of queer theory to biblical texts and draws on the concept of gender performativity - the construction of gender through action and behaviour - to argue for the potential of queer theory in political readings of the Bible. The central role of metaphor in reinforcing gender performativity is examined in relation to the books of Jeremiah, Hosea and Ezekiel. The book offers a radical reassessment of the relationship between biblical language and gender identity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781134945726
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	04/08/2016
Series:	ISSN
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	263
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Stuart Macwilliam is a lecturer in the Department of Theology at the University of Exeter. He teaches Biblical Hebrew and New Testament Greek, and continues to develop his research interest in queer theory and the Hebrew Bible, working at present on such diverse topics as male beauty, Queen Athaliah and eunuchs.

Table of Contents

Introduction Section I Methodological Foundations Chapter 1: Queer Theory Chapter 2: Feminist and Queer Biblical Encounters Section II Queer and Metaphor Chapter 3 A Queer Theory of Metaphor Chapter 4: Are the Israelites Male? Chapter 5: Queering Jeremiah Chapter 6: Queering Hosea Chapter 7: Queering Ezekiel, Part 1 Entr'Acte: An Orgy of the Ego: Reflections on the Methodology of Section III Section III Queer and Camp Chapter 8: The Methodological Possibility of Camp Chapter 9: Queering Ezekiel, Part 2 Chapter 10: Conclusions

Editorial Reviews

'The volume is tightly argued and well reasoned and the book is penned with humour...the book could be described - methodologically, ideologically, and stylistically - as roguish. And quite delightfully so.' —The Bible and Critical Theory

'Stuart Macwilliam writes with charm and a high degree of epistemological and methodological awareness.' —Review of Biblical Literature

From the Publisher