From Eve to Esther: Rabbinic Reconstructs of Biblical Women (Gender & the Biblical Tradition) [Paperback]

Leila Leah Bronner (Author)

Book Description

Series: Gender & the Biblical Tradition | Publication Date: September 1, 1994

This is the first book-length attempt to examine the attitude of the ancient rabbis towards some of the most significant feminine figures in the Old Testament. It traces the biblical stories, examines their objectives and methods, and discusses how these original intentions were altered--sometimes beyond recognition--when the women discussed in them were subjected to the unique exegetical technique of midrash.

The Gender and the Biblical Tradition series brings to a wide audience important new discoveries concerning women and the Bible, ancient Israel, and early Christianity. The books explore the role of sexuality within the biblical tradition and document the continuing influence of biblical treatments of gender on subsequent life and thought.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A splendid and sumptuous examination of Women in the Bible... Bronner's dynamic Judaic/Feminist mind sifts and blends her findings into an innovative and significant set of unique perspectives ... To simply say that From Eve to Esther is a fascinating and extraordinary work would be inadequate. Each page has been thoroughly researched, documented, and sings out in a lucid and unobstructed voice that is neither strident nor apologetic. Bronner looks upon and speaks of the past, but she has both eyes on the future. -- Jewish Spectator, Winter 1995-96

Daughter of a Hasidic rabbi, Professor Bronner knows Torah, Talmud, and other sacred writings intimately, and she is well-versed in scholarly commentary on them. Her book tacitly reminds us that men by themselves cannot fully interpret scripture. ... From Eve to Esther is an illuminating and resonant book. It is also thoroughly delightful. -- Update, Winter 1997-98

Leila Bronner's analysis of Rabbinic views on biblical women is a fascinating addition to existing studies of women in Scripture. From Eve to Esther sets out to show the power both Bible and Midrash have had on women's roles and status for generations. ... She intends to present a balanced picture, recognizing the multivalence of biblical texts and the social preoccupations of the sages interpreting them. -- Word and World, date unknown

Though Bronner does far more than a surface reading of both the biblical and the rabbinic texts, the work is understandably written, suitable for both the general reader and the scholar alike.... This work represents a worthy undertaking and one which fills a void in biblical and rabbinic study. Hence, just in terms of its pioneer status, this work would be welcomed, and it is sure to be the beginning of further conversation about rabbinical views of these figures. Yet its value is greater than that, as Bronner has given us a perceptive look at this topic. -- Horizons in Biblical Theology, December 1996

[T]his is at first sight an enthralling book, difficult to put down ... Bronner offers a genuine contribution to the role of ideology in the representation of women. -- Apocrypha and Post-Biblical Studies, date unknown

About the Author

Leila Leah Bronner was formerly Professor of Bible and Religious Studies at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is the author of a number of books, including Stories of Biblical Mothers: Maternal Power in the Hebrew Bible.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press; 1st edition (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0664255426
• ISBN-13: 978-0664255428
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #525,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Women and Judaism

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5.0 out of 5 stars Plenty of information, August 10, 2006

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This review is from: From Eve to Esther: Rabbinic Reconstructs of Biblical Women (Gender & the Biblical Tradition) (Paperback)

For the length of text this is, 186 pages, this text is packed with information about the interpretation of women characters in the Hebrew Bible in normative rabbinic Judaism. The book is structured around themes:

Modesty and Matrimony

Women and Torah Study

Women and Prayer

Daughters and Rapes

Harlots

Prophetesses

Key women from the Bible: Eve, Sarah, Rebeccah, Leah, Rachel, Rahab, Dinah, Tamar (both of them), Ruth, Deborah, Esther, Hannah, Hulda, and other unnamed women, such as Jephthah's daughter, are analyzed, first in their biblical context, then in the interpretations of them in the rabbinic tradition. The primary sources for the rabbinic tradition drawn upon, are Midrash Rabbah, Midrash Tanhuma, and Babylonian Talmud. Occasionally other sources are used as well, such as Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, his monumental collection of Midrash, hellenistic sources outside the Jewish canon, like Philo and the aprocryphal Ben Sira.

The book is well footnoted. The citations are almost invariably to readily available English translations of the rabbinic materials.

The book is respectful of tradition and factual, rather than launching into polemic on the evils of patriarchy and setting out a revolutionary program to relegate traditional rabbinic Judaism to the dustbin of history in favor of a feminist revolutionary program. Instead, the information is presented in a way that allows the reader to come to their own conclusions.