Table Of ContentPeter H. W. Lau
Identity and Ethics in the Book of Ruth
Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die
alttestamentliche Wissenschaft
Herausgegeben von
John Barton · Reinhard G. Kratz
Choon-Leong Seow · Markus Witte
Band 416
De Gruyter
Peter H. W. Lau
Identity and Ethics in the Book of Ruth
A Social Identity Approach
De Gruyter
ISBN 978-3-11-024760-2
e-ISBN 978-3-11-024761-9
ISSN 0934-2575
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Lau,PeterH.W.
Identity and ethics in the book of Ruth : a social identity approach /
PeterH.W.Lau.
p. cm. - (Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissen-
schaft,ISSN0934-2575;Bd.416)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-3-11-024760-2(hardcover:alk.paper)
1. Ethics in the Bible. 2. Sociology, Biblical. 3. Bible. O.T. Ruth -
Criticism, Narrative. 4. Bible. O.T. Ruth - Social scientific criticism.
I.Title.
BS1315.6.E8L39 2010
2221.3506-dc22
2010034691
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Foreword
This book is a revision of my doctoral dissertation accepted by the Uni-
versity of Sydney in January 2009. I would like to express my gratitude
to the following people and organisations:
My supervisor, Shani Berrin Tzoref, whose guidance, generosity,
and insightful feedback have been invaluable. I appreciated your con-
tinued direction even after you departed for Jerusalem. My thanks also
to Mark Leuchter, who supervised after Shani left. You extended my
thinking in many areas and helped me understand the subtleties of HB
studies.
The staff at Tyndale House, Cambridge, for their warm welcome
and making our stay so enjoyable and productive. I would also like to
thank Ronald Clements for commenting on earlier drafts of this study,
the stimulating discussions, and encouragement. Thanks also to James
Aitken and Cambridge University for a grant that enabled me to ex-
perience the land of Israel. My heartfelt thanks to the Divine Grace
Foundation for financial assistance while we were in Cambridge.
John Davies for getting the dissertation ball rolling, Ian Young for
assisting with the section on the Dating of Ruth, Zeba Crook for feed-
back on social-scientific matters, and Daniel Hawk for his responses to
the overview on Ruth studies. Thank you to those who commented on
the sections of this study I shared at the SBL International Meeting,
Auckland 2008, and at the Sydney chapter of the Fellowship of Biblical
Studies, 2009. My thanks also to my grandmother, Alma Goon, and
Chang Tsyh Yong for their careful proofreading and to Darren Yong for
helping prepare the Scripture index. Of course, any remaining errors
are my responsibility.
To my parents, for life-long support and encouragement in all my
endeavours, including my academic pursuits.
Finally, my loving family, who have shared this wonderful adven-
ture with me: my wife Kathryn and our children who were all born
during the gestation of this book. Zachary was born as I started my
dissertation, Jeremy in the middle, and Sophie a year ago. To my family
I dedicate this book.
Peter H. W. Lau
University of Sydney and Malaysian Theological Seminary
October 2010
Table of Contents
Foreword ...................................................................................................... v
Abbreviations ............................................................................................... ix
Introduction(cid:1)
I. Approaches to Hebrew Bible Ethics .................................................... 1(cid:1)
II. A Social-Scientific Approach .............................................................. 6(cid:1)
III. Survey of Interpretive Approaches to the Book of Ruth ................ 12(cid:1)
IV. Conclusion ........................................................................................ 18(cid:1)
V. Outline of Study................................................................................. 18(cid:1)
Ancient Israelite Identity(cid:1)
I. Towards an Ancient Israelite Social Understanding of the Self ........ 20(cid:1)
II. The Social Identity Approach ........................................................... 25(cid:1)
III. The Self in the Social Identity Approach ........................................ 29(cid:1)
IV. The Social Identity Approach and Ancient Israelite Identity ......... 32(cid:1)
V. Narrative, Identity, and Ethics .......................................................... 39(cid:1)
VI. The Implied Reader .......................................................................... 42(cid:1)
VII. The Dating of the Book of Ruth .................................................... 44(cid:1)
VIII. Summary and Conclusion ............................................................. 53(cid:1)
Boaz: Identity and Ethics(cid:1)
I. The Identity of Boaz ........................................................................... 55(cid:1)
II. The Actions of Boaz .......................................................................... 60(cid:1)
III. The Identity and Actions of Mr. So-and-So ................................... 74(cid:1)
IV. The Identity and Actions of Boaz ................................................... 79(cid:1)
V. The Identity and Inaction of Boaz .................................................... 83(cid:1)
VI. An Assessment of Boaz’s Actions from a Social Identity
Perspective ..................................................................................... 85(cid:1)
VII. Summary and Conclusions ............................................................. 87(cid:1)
Ruth: Identity and Ethics(cid:1)
I. The Transformation of Ruth’s Identity .............................................. 90(cid:1)
viii
Identity and Ethics in the Book of Ruth
II. The Personal Component of Ruth’s Identity.................................. 101(cid:1)
III. The Impact on the Identity of an Implied Reader......................... 110(cid:1)
IV. Summary and Conclusions............................................................. 118(cid:1)
Naomi: Identity and Ethics(cid:1)
I. The Loss of Naomi’s Identity............................................................ 120(cid:1)
II. The Regaining of Naomi’s Identity................................................. 126(cid:1)
III. The Impact on the Identity of an Implied Reader......................... 135(cid:1)
IV. Summary and Conclusions............................................................. 143(cid:1)
A Provenance for the Book of Ruth(cid:1)
I. The Monarchic Period ...................................................................... 145(cid:1)
II. The Persian Period ........................................................................... 159(cid:1)
III. Summary and Conclusion .............................................................. 188(cid:1)
Summary and Conclusions(cid:1)
Summary................................................................................................ 191(cid:1)
Conclusions ........................................................................................... 193(cid:1)
Bibliography ............................................................................................. 197
Scripture Index .......................................................................................... 225
Abbreviations
AB Anchor Bible
ABD Anchor Bible Dictionary. Edited by David N.
Freedman. 6 vols. New York: Doubleday, 1992
AcT Acta theologica
AJT American Journal of Theology
ANET Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old
Testament. Edited by James B. Pritchard. 3d ed.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969
AOS American Oriental Series
BA Biblical Archaeologist
BAR Biblical Archaeology Review
BASOR B ulletin of the American Schools of Oriental
Research
BDB Brown, Francis, S. R. Driver, and Charles A.
Briggs. A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the
Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907
BHQ Biblia Hebraica Quinta
BHS Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia
Bib Biblica
BibInt Biblical Interpretation: A Journal of Contempo-
rary Approaches
BSac Bibliotheca Sacra
BT The Bible Translator
BTB Biblical Theology Bulletin
BWANT Beiträge zur Wissenschaft vom Alten und Neuen
Testament
BZAW Beihefte zur ZAW
CBQ The Catholic Biblical Quarterly
CC Continental Commentaries
CurBS Currents in Research: Biblical Studies
DCH Dictionary of Classical Hebrew. Edited by David
J. A. Clines. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press,
1993–
x
Identity and Ethics in the Book of Ruth
ExpTim Expository Times
FRLANT Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten
und Neuen Testaments
GBH Joüon, Paul. A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew.
Translated and revised by Takamitsu Muraoka. 2
vols. Subsidia biblica 14/1–2. Rome: Pontificial
Biblical Institute, 1991
GKC Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar. Edited by E.
Kautzsch. Translated by A. E. Cowley. 2d. ed.
Oxford: Clarendon Press 1910
HALOT Koehler, Ludwig, Walter Baumgartner, and Jo-
hann J. Stamm. The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexi-
con of the Old Testament. Translated and edited
under the supervision of M. E. J. Richardson. 4
vols. Leiden, 1994–1999
HAT Handbuch zum Alten Testament
HS Hebrew Studies
HSM Harvard Semitic Monographs
HTKAT Herder Theologischer Kommentar zum Alten
Testament
HTR Harvard Theological Review
HUCA Hebrew Union College Annual
IBHS An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax.
Bruce K. Waltke and M. O’Connor. Winona
Lake: Eisenbrauns, 1990
ICC International Critical Commentary
IDB The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible. Edited
by George A. Buttrick. 4 vols. Nashville: Abing-
don, 1962
IEJ Israel Exploration Journal
Int Interpretation
ITC International Theological Commentary
JAAR Journal of the American Academy of Religion
JANES Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society
JAOS Journal of the American Oriental Society
JBL Journal of Biblical Literature
JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
JJS Journal of Jewish Studies
JNES Journal of Near Eastern Studies
