The Aesthetics of Violence in the Prophets

202 Pages·2010·1.73 MB·English

by  Julia M. O'Brien

LIBRARY OF HEBREW BIBLE/
OLD TESTAMENT STUDIES

517

Formerly Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series

Editors
Claudia V. Camp, Texas Christian University
Andrew Mein, Westcott House, Cambridge

Founding Editors
David J. A. Clines, Philip R. Davies and David M. Gunn

Editorial Board
Richard J. Coggins, Alan Cooper, John Goldingay, Robert P. Gordon,
Norman K. Gottwald, Gina Hens-Piazza, John Jarick, Andrew D. H. Mayes,
Carol Meyers, Patrick D. Miller, Yvonne Sherwood
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THE AESTHETICS OF VIOLENCE
IN THE PROPHETS

edited by

Julia M. O’Brien
and
Chris Franke
Copyright © 2010 by Julia M. O’Brien and Chris Franke

Published by T & T Clark International
A Continuum imprint
80 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038
The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX

www.continuumbooks.com

Visit the T & T Clark blog at www.tandtclarkblog.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher, T & T Clark
International.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.

ISBN: 978-0-567-54811-5 (hardback)

Typeset and copy-edited by Forthcoming Publications Ltd. (www.forthpub.com)
Printed in the United States of America
CONTENTS

List of Contributors vii
List of Abbreviations viii

INTRODUCTION ix

SCULPTED WARRIORS: SEXUALITY AND THE SACRED
IN THE DEPICTION OF WARFARE IN THE ASSYRIAN PALACE RELIEFS
AND IN EZEKIEL 23:14–17
Cynthia R. Chapman 1

MAPPING VIOLENCE IN THE PROPHETS: ZEPHANIAH 2
Robert D. Haak 18

RECLAIMING JEREMIAH’S VIOLENCE
Kathleen M. O’Connor 37

HEWN BY THE PROPHET:
AN ANALYSIS OF VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL TRANSGRESSION
IN HOSEA WITH REFERENCE TO THE HOMILETICAL AESTHETIC
OF JEREMIAH WRIGHT
Carolyn J. Sharp 50

ON THE PLEASURES OF PROPHETIC JUDGMENT:
READING MICAH 1:6 AND 3:12
WITH STOKELY CARMICHAEL
Daniel L. Smith-Christopher 72

“TONGUE-LASHING” OR A PROPHETIC AESTHETICS OF VIOLATION:
AN ANALYSIS OF PROPHETIC STRUCTURES
THAT REVERBERATE BEYOND THE BIBLICAL WORLD
Yvonne Sherwood 88
vi The Aesthetics of Violence in the Prophets
VIOLENT PICTURES, VIOLENT CULTURES?
THE “AESTHETICS OF VIOLENCE” IN CONTEMPORARY FILM
AND IN ANCIENT PROPHETIC TEXTS
Julia M. O’Brien 112

THE BEAUTY OF THE BLOODY GOD:
THE DIVINE WARRIOR IN PROPHETIC LITERATURE
Corrine Carvalho 131

DIVINE VIOLENCE IN THE BOOK OF AMOS
Mary Mills 153

Index of References 180
Index of Authors 184
CONTRIBUTORS

Corrine Carvalho, University of Saint Thomas

Cynthia R. Chapman, Oberlin College

Robert D. Haak, Augustana College

Mary Mills, Liverpool Hope University

Julia M. O’Brien, Lancaster Theological Seminary

Kathleen M. O’Connor, Columbia Theological Seminary

Carolyn J. Sharp, Yale Divinity School

Yvonne Sherwood, University of Glasgow

Daniel L. Smith-Christopher, Loyola Marymount University

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ABBREVIATIONS

AB Anchor Bible
BETL Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium
BibInt Biblical Interpretation
BR Biblical Research
BZAW Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft
CAD The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of
Chicago. Chicago, 1956–
CCS Continental Commentaries Series
FOTL Forms of Old Testament Literature
HCOT Historical Commentary on the Old Testament
HSM Harvard Semitic Monographs
HUCA Hebrew Union College Annual
Int Interpretation
JAAR Journal of the American Academy of Religion
JANESCU Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society of Columbia University
JSOT Journal for the Study of the Old Testament
JSOTSup Journal for the Study of the Old Testament: Supplement Series
LHBOTS Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies
OTE Old Testament Essays
OTL Old Testament Library
SBLDS Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series
VT Vetus Testamentum
VTSup Vetus Testamentum: Supplement Series
WBC Word Biblical Commentary
INTRODUCTION:
ENGAGING CONVERSATION ABOUT VIOLENCE

Background Discussions

As its name would imply, Prophetic Texts and their Ancient Contexts
(PTAC) is a unit of the Society of Biblical Literature devoted to
exploring prophets, prophecy, and prophetic literature—all in light of the
ancient Near East. The program unit aims to be interdisciplinary and
international, bringing together diverse scholars who read and work in
different ways. Our interests are not antiquarian, however. We care about
the past for its sake and also for its ability to help us think about and
respond to the contemporary world.
The events of 9/11/01 spurred the PTAC steering committee to
consider the intersecting themes of violence, religious violence, and
violent texts. We were aware that earlier academic conferences had taken
up these issues from explicitly-religious perspectives. For example, at the
2005 meeting of the Catholic Biblical Society a seminar on Divinity in
Ancient Israel was devoted to “Reading the Bible’s Violence in a
Judaeo-Christian community.” That conversation focused on the ques-
tion of how the truth claims of Jews and Christians complicate their
responses to biblical texts that ascribe violence to Israel’s deity. Should
believers reject violent texts, try to understand them in historical context,
and/or justify the violence of God on theological grounds?
The PTAC steering committee pondered how our own (cid:1)eld of study—
the ancient dimensions of prophetic texts—might offer a distinctive way
to approach these and related questions. How might contemporary under-
standings of violence be enriched, challenged, or redirected by thought-
ful analysis of biblical prophetic texts in their ancient Near Eastern
contexts? We decided to focus the theme of our 2006 session on The
Aesthetics of Violence, the consideration of how the violent imagery and
rhetoric of the prophetic texts work, particularly but not exclusively in
the past. What do violent images do to readers in the past and present?
Do they encourage violent behavior and/or provide an alternative to
actual violence? How do depictions of violence de(cid:1)ne boundaries
between and within communities? What can and should readers make of
the disturbing rhetoric of violent prophets?

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