ENGLISH

Signs of Jonah: Reading and Rereading in Ancient Yehud (JSOT Supplement)

By Ehud Ben Zvi

Book information

Publisher
Sheffield Academic Press
Year
2003
ISBN
0826462685, 9780826462688, 0567222934, 9780567222930
LCC
BS1605.52 .B46 2003
Open Library ID
OL3761138M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
10 MB (10034480 bytes)
Series
Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series 367
Pages
183\185
Topic
History
DPI
300
Time added
2011-06-04 13:46:07

Description

Ben Zvi starts with the premise that Jonah, like most books, was written to be read. He therefore concentrates on intended and unintended readership(s) of Jonah and the network of messages that they were likely to derive through their reading and rereading. He starts with the historical and social matrix of the production and reading of the book in antiquity and analyses its self-critical approach and its metaprophetic character as a comment on the genre of prophetic books and on prophets. How does the historical fact of Nineveh's destruction actually shape the reading? Or the perception of Jonah as a runaway slave? Ben Zvi demonstrates the malleability of interpretation of the Book of Jonah and its limitations, as attested in different communities of readers. He asks why certain messages are easily accepted by particular historical communities, whereas others are not raised at all.

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