This volume honours the work of David Jobling, the distinguished Professor of Old Testament Language and Literature at St Andrew's College, Saskatoon, Canada. Jobling has been noted for his adventurous forays into the theory and practice of biblical interpretation, especially of the Hebrew Bible, and for his interdisciplinary bridge-building. The volume is divided into three sections corresponding to three of Jobling's principal interests, each section being prefaced with an introduction to his work in that area by the editors. Section 1 is on Post-Structuralism, with contributions by Gary...

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah are commonly noted for their negative view of foreigners. Attempts to explain this antagonism have pointed to the sociological dynamics of identity construction and preservation. Parallels are often drawn to reservations by ethnic minorities against intermarriage as a cultural survival mechanism. However, enforcing boundaries not only excludes, but also identifies outsiders. Thus, the exclusion of foreigners is not only a matter of maintaining ethnic boundaries, but also involves the ideological construction of identities, both of insiders and outsiders. The...