Articles on Mary Douglas and the Hebrew Bible and new reviews in JHS

The Journal of Hebrew Scriptures (http://www.jhsonline.org) has recently published a set of articles on Mary Douglas and the Hebrew Bible.

1) The articles included are:
Journal of Hebrew Scriptures - Volume 8: Article 7 (2008)
Ronald Hendel and Saul M. Olyan
Beyond Purity and Danger: Mary Douglas and The Hebrew Bible
Abstract
An introduction to the following five articles that engage DouglasâEURO(tm)s studies of the Hebrew Bible from a variety of perspectives and on a variety of topics.

Those who wish to access this article directly may go to
http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/JHS/Articles/article_84.pdf

2) Journal of Hebrew Scriptures - Volume 8: Article 8 (2008)
Ronald Hendel
Mary Douglas and Anthropological Modernism
Abstract
Mary DouglasâEURO(tm)s scholarship has been described as âEUROOEa classic expression of British anthropological modernism.âEURO In this essay I explore the significance of her work within the larger intellectual horizons of modernism and within the Durkheimian tradition in anthropology. I then situate her work on the Hebrew Bible within this larger perspective, using her analysis of the abominable pig as an exemplary instance.

Those who wish to access this article directly may go to
http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/JHS/Articles/article_85.pdf

3) Journal of Hebrew Scriptures - Volume 8: Article 9 (2008)
Alfred Marx
The Relationship between the Sacrificial Laws and the Other Laws in Leviticus 19
Abstract
The present paper addresses the question of the surprising presence in Leviticus 19 of two sacrificial regulations among mainly moral commandments. It attempts to show that far from being out of place these laws sum up the ethic imposed on Israelites in two main principles: the principle of restraint when dealing with fellow countrymen and the principle of absence of all contact with spiritual beings other than God.

Those who wish to access this article directly may go to
http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/JHS/Articles/article_86.pdf

4) Journal of Hebrew Scriptures - Volume 8: Article 10 (2008)
Saul M. Olyan
Mary DouglasâEURO(tm)s Holiness/Wholeness Paradigm: Its Potential for Insight and its Limitations
Abstract
The strengths and weaknesses of Mary DouglasâEURO(tm)s holiness/wholeness paradigm, in which she links the idea of holiness directly to physical wholeness, are critically assessed in this article. Several examples of fruitful elaboration of the paradigm by biblical scholars are considered in some detail. In addition, the author suggests some ways in which the paradigm might be modified in order to explain better the biblical data concerning physical wholeness.

Those who wish to access this article directly may go to
http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/JHS/Articles/article_87.pdf

5) Journal of Hebrew Scriptures - Volume 8: Article 11 (2008)
RÃ1/4 diger Schmitt
The Problem of Magic and Monotheism in the Book of Leviticus
Abstract
To be added
Those who wish to access this article directly may go to
http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/JHS/Articles/article_88.pdf

6) Journal of Hebrew Scriptures - Volume 8: Article 12 (2008)
David P. Wright
Deciphering a Definition: The Syntagmatic Structural Analysis of Ritual in the Hebrew Bible
Abstract
This article argues that any action performed by an individual or group can only be properly understood in the context of the larger range of similar activity performed by the individual or group. It builds on Mary Douglas's syntagmatic structural analysis of action within such a broad context and moves to Catherine Bell's similar contextualization of ritualization within a larger framework of action. This type of analysis allows for formulating a clearer definition of ritual and a more precise identification of the strategies employed to create ritual. It also provides a method for the study of ritual, in which any given performance may be evaluated by its relationship to other similar actions, including non-ritual actions. As an example, the paper looks at the story of the feast held by Joseph for his brothers in Genesis 43 and suggests how this may be used for elucidating the understanding of biblical sacrifice.

Those who wish to access this article directly may go to
http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/JHS/Articles/article_89.pdf

In addition, the following reviews have been recently published:

Carmichael, Calum, Illuminating Leviticus: A Study of Its Laws and Institutions in the Light of Biblical Narratives (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006). (Reviewed by William Gilders)

Garbini, Giovanni, Myth and History in the Bible (Journal for the Old Testament, Supplement Series 362; London/New York: Sheffield Academic Press, 2003). (Reviewed by David Bergen)

Ijezie, Luke Emehiele, The Interpretation of the Hebrew Word ×¢× (People) in Samuel-Kings (European University Studies, Series XXIII Theology, 830; Bern: Peter Lang, 2007). (Reviewed by Garrett Galvin)

Knowles, Melody D., Centrality Practiced: Jerusalem in the Religious Practice of Yehud and the Diaspora in the Persian Period (SBL Archaeology and Biblical Studies, 16; Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2006). (Reviewed by Jeremiah Cataldo)

Malessa, Michael, Untersuchungen zur verbalen Valenz im biblischen Hebräisch (Studia semitica neerlandica, 49; Assen: van Gorcum, 2006). (Reviewed by Richard Benton)

Watts, James W., Ritual and Rhetoric in Leviticus: From Sacrifice to Scripture (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007). (Reviewed by Bernon P. Lee)

To access the reviews directly please go to
http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/JHS/reviews/reviews_vol.html

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For information on the printed publication of volume 6 (2006) of the Journal by Gorgias Press,
please go to
https://www.gorgiaspress.com/bookshop/pc-56106-56-ben-zvi-ehud-perspectives-on-hebrew-scriptures-iii.aspx

For information on volume 5 (2004-2005) please go to
https://www.gorgiaspress.com/bookshop/p-55864-ben-zvi-ehud-perspectives-on-hebrew-scriptures-ii.aspx

For information on the publication of vols 1-4, please go to
https://www.gorgiaspress.com/bookshop/p-55607-ben-zvi-ehud-perspectives-on-hebrew-scriptures-i.aspx

Volume 7 (2007) is expected to be published later this year.