Biblical humor about women and gender remains elusive for many readers, for its recognition may imply the realization that it's a cruel and disrespectful humor, ridicule rather than good-natured fun. But viewing humor as social critique, as is largely done in the essays in this volume, with respect to both the texts read and their actual or implied author, may be fun as well as significant for understanding the biblical worlds. As most of the essays show, writing about women is writing about men as well. In other words, it is writing about gender roles. The critique of women, womanhood and...

This collection of studies, reflecting developments in feminist exegesis over the last few years in Europe and the United States, includes treatments of key female figures ('Tamar and the Coat of Many Colours' by Adrien Janis Bledstein.

This collection presents essays on the configuration of 'woman' in the biblical wisdom literature from various perspectives: social (with ancient Near Eastern illuminations), literary/intertextual (in the sense of inner-biblical intertextuality).