Feminized Hero in Second Temple Judaism

The turbulent Second Temple period produced searching biblical texts whose protagonists, unlike heroes like Noah, Abraham, and Moses, were more everyday figures who expressed their moral uncertainties more vocally. Reflecting on a new type of Jewish moral agent, these tales depict men who are feminized, and women who are masculinized.  In this volume, Lawrence M. Wills offers a deep interrogation of these stories, uncovering the psychological aspects of Jewish identity, moral life, and decisions that they explore. Often written as novellas, the stories investigate emotions, psychological interiorizing, the self, agency, and character. Recent insights from gender and postcolonial theory inform Wills' study, as he shows how one can study and compare modern and ancient gender constructs. Wills also reconstructs the social fabric of the Second Temple period and demonstrates how a focus on emotions, the self, and moral psychology, often associated with both ancient Greek and modern literature, are present in biblical texts, albeit in a subtle, unassuming manner.

List of contents

Introduction; 1. The Hebrew Bible background of the Feminized and Masculinized Protagonist; 2. A Feminized Ezra and a Masculinized Nehemiah; 3. The Daniel Tradition and Susanna; 4. Esther, Judith and Achior, and the Women of rewritten Scripture; 5. The Feminized Protagonist in wisdom of Solomon and the Gospel of Mark; Conclusion and three post-second temple examples: Shepherd of Hermas, Testament of Joseph, and Joseph and Aseneth; Bibliography; Index.

About the author

Lawrence M. Wills is adjunct instructor of religious studies and theology at Stonehill College. He is  the author of The Jewish Novel in the Ancient World (1995), which was named  Choice Outstanding Academic Book and Introduction to the Apocrypha (2021) which was a finalist for the American Association of Publishers' PROSE awards.

Product details

• Authors: Lawrence M Wills, Lawrence M. (Boston University School of Th Wills, Wills Lawrence M.
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 01.01.2025
• EAN: 9781009487160
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0948716-0
• No. of pages: 173
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Christianity; Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Religion: general, reference works; SOCIAL SCIENCE / Gender Studies, RELIGION / Judaism / Talmud, RELIGION / Sexuality & Gender Studies, Middle East, Jewish Studies, Gender studies, gender groups, Religious groups: social & cultural aspects, Relating to Christian people and groups, Relating to Jewish people and groups, Criticism and exegesis of sacred texts, BCE to c 500 CE, Biblical Studies & Exegesis, c 500 BCE to c 1BCE, Judaism: sacred texts and revered writings, Judaism: Sacred Texts, Old Testaments