Ruth

by Rhiannon Graybill (Editor), Philippe Guillaume (Editor)

Overview

The Book of Ruth is an all-time Bible favorite. In four chapters, it builds a clear plot with narrative tension heightened with sexual innuendos; and it ends well. Since the 1990s at least, studies produced an array of portrayals of the heroes of the tale beyond the traditional idyllic readings. Gaps and fissures have been explored to cover its ideological premises. Feminist readings denounce the way patriarchalism used the figures of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz to bolster its social hegemony. Ruth has been presented as a coquette, Naomi as a pimp or a scold, Ruth and Naomi as lesbians, Boaz as exploiter of the proletariat, unstraight, sugar Daddy or impotent. Yet, time is ripe to steer a course between idyllic readings and critical ones. There is more to gender asymmetries and patriarchy than the devaluation of women. Women always have power. Neither Naomi or Ruth are powerless victims. This volume maps an uncompromising way forward between patriarchy and advocacy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781800506930
Publisher:	Equinox Publishing
Publication date:	10/01/2025
Series:	Themes and Issues in Biblical Studies
Pages:	300
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.17(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Foreword: Tips on How to Use this Volume in Class 1. Ruth or Routh: Introduction to the Textual Analysis of the Book of Ruth Rhiannon Graybill, William Krisel, Institut Catholique de Paris, and Philippe Guillaume 2. One Plus One Equals Three: The Economics of Land Shares According to Boaz Philippe Guillaume 3. The Torah in Ruth? Philippe Guillaume 4. Reading Ruth Canonically as the Central Panel in a Literary Triptych William Krisel 5. After the Idyll Ends: Ruth and the Uses of Disappointment Rhiannon Graybill 6. Obed, Son of Boaz, an Israelite: Should Ruth be Read through the Lens of Deuteronomy's Laws about Moabites? Jonathan Thambyrajah, Australian Institute of Theological Education 7. Naomi and Ruth: A Tale of Two Wives? William Krisel 8. It's a Charming Story of Faithful Living, but : Interpretive Tensions in the Book of Ruth Rebecca Lindsay, Flinders University 9. Wisdom in a Time of Prose: Form, Function and the Book of Ruth Laura Quick, University of Oxford 10. Ruth and Moab: Abjection and Intimacy Peter Sabo, Huron University College, and Francis Landy, University of Alberta 11. The Moral Content of Caring for Oneself (first) Jennifer Johnson Williams, Linfield University 12. Who is the Central Character in the Book of Ruth? Anthony H. Dekker and John T. Dekker 13. Is Ruth a Rapist? The Sexual Victimization of Boaz Jennifer Lehmann 14. Reading Ruth in the Middle Ages Sara Moscone