Making Men: The Male Coming-Of-Age Theme in the Hebrew Bible

ISBN-13: 9780190222826 / Angielski / Twarda / 2015 / 272 str.

Stephen Wilson

Opis

Making Men identifies and elaborates on a theme in the Hebrew Bible that has largely gone unnoticed by scholars-the transition of a male adolescent from boyhood to manhood. Wilson locates five examples of the male coming-of-age theme in the Hebrew Bible. The protagonists of these stories include the well-known biblical heroes Moses, Samuel, David, and Solomon. He also reveals the existence of a narrative theme of failing to mature to manhood, exemplified in the tales of Samson and Gideon's son Jether.

Beyond identifying the coming-of-age theme, Wilson describes how the theme is employed by biblical narrators and redactors to highlight broader messages and transitions in the historical narratives of the Hebrew Bible. He additionally considers how these stories provide unique insight into the varying representations of biblical masculinity and how the ideals associated with manhood can change dramatically over time.

Recenzje

[I]t is clear that Wilson's book makes a solid contribution to the broader, and still growing, field of studies in biblical masculinities as well as gender in the Hebrew Bible. The first section of the book is especially well suited to introduce students to the study of masculinity and the Bible, and his careful textual analyses throughout his case studies in the second part of the book may serve as models for further investigations into biblical masculinity both hegemonic and alternative masculinities.

O autorze

Stephen M. Wilson was raised on a family farm in southern Delaware. While attending Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, he realized that the foreign culture that most fascinated him was ancient Israel, and devoted himself to studying its history and literature. He completed his doctorate at Duke University, where he specialized in social-scientific and literary readings of the Hebrew Bible. He is currently the Conrad J. Bergendoff Visiting Fellow in Religion at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois.