''Why Ask My Name?'': Anonymity and Identity in Biblical Narrative PDF
Preview ''Why Ask My Name?'': Anonymity and Identity in Biblical Narrative
"Why Ask My Name?" This page intentionally left blank "Why Ask My Name?" Anonymity and Identity in Biblical Narrative ADELE REINHARTZ New York Oxford Oxford University Press 1998 Oxford University Press Oxford New York Athens Auckland Bangkok Bogota Buenos Aires Calcutta Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Florence Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi Paris Säo Paulo Singapore Taipei Tokyo Toronto Warsaw and associated companies in Berlin Ibadan Copyright © 1998 by Adele Reinhartz Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press. A!) rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Reinhartz, Adele, 1953- "Why ask my name?": anonymity and identity in biblical narrative / Adele Reinhartz, p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-19-509970-2 1. Names in the Bible. 2, Bible. O.T.—Psychology. 3. Bible. O.T.—Criticism, interpretation, etc. I. Title. BS1199.N2R45 1998 221.6 dc2! 97-44216 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper For Barry This page intentionally left blank PREFACE MY INTEREST IN ANONYMOUS CHARACTERS began in a single moment, during a conversation with a young student preparing for her bat mitzvah. The portion that Milena was preparing was Judges 13, the story of Manoah's wife, the mother of Samson. In addition to chanting this portion, Milena was also to present a short talk on the passage itself. As we studied the passage together, I felt a sense of mild discomfort. Something seemed out of kilter. It took me some time to realize that I was troubled by the absence of the woman's proper name. This gap seemed inconsistent with her starring role and obvious superiority to her doltish husband. On the appointed day, Milena chanted beautifully, spoke insightfully about this anonymous wife and mother, and moved on to the other challenges that await the post-bat mitzvah woman. I, however, became increasingly interested in anonymity as a feature of biblical narrative. My interest lay specifically in the impact of anonymity on the ways in which readers construct their images of the characters within the narrative. Although I had largely overcome my pre- suppositions concerning the incompatibility of anonymity and narrative star- dorn, I had other assumptions to contend with. The most imposing of these was my sense that it was primarily women whose names were absent from the biblical narrative. I studied the women in the books of Samuel and Kings and, indeed, discovered a considerable number of female characters whose names are not recounted. Initially I considered a longer and more comprehensive study of anony- mous women in biblical narrative. But no sooner had I embarked on this project than I realized that alongside the many unnamed mothers, wives, daughters and viii Preface wise women in biblical narrative stood an even larger number of unnamed menfolk, servants, slaves, messengers, angels and animals. Only a comprehensive study, inclusive of unnamed men, women, children and nonhuman characters, would do. My thanks go out to the friends, colleagues and students who helped in many ways at all stages of this project. To Milena Romalis, my thanks for launching me into an area of unexpected riches. To my graduate and under- graduate students at McMaster University and to all who participated in less formal courses and workshops at the National Havurah Institute and a variety of venues in Toronto and Hamilton, my gratitude for their interest in biblical characters and the prodding questions they asked. Conversations in Jerusalem with Moshe Greenberg, Alan Rosen and Esther Chazon helped me step back from the thicket of characters and stories to contemplate the broader patterns and significance of anonymity. Ellen Frankel, Lori Lefkowitz, Amy-Jill Levine, Eileen Schuller and Barry Walfish took the time to comment with care on an earlier draft. Their comments were invaluable as I proceeded with the intensive task of revision. My appreciations go to Amy-Jill Levine and to Barry Walfish for speedy response to queries, bibliographical and otherwise, and to Cynthia Read, Will Moore, Joy Matkowski, and all others at Oxford University Press for their support and skill. Research support provided by McMaster University and its Arts Research Board is gratefully acknowledged, as is the research assistance given by Lorenzo Ditommaso, Jennifer Nettleton, Leonard Van Dyke and Jane Webster. Thank you to Jennifer Nettleton for proofreading, reference checking and myriad other time-consuming tasks, all performed accurately and expeditiously. My thanks to Sheffield Academic Press for permission to use "Samson's Mother: An Unnamed Protagonist," JSOT 55 (1992): 25-37 (reprinted in Athalya Brenner, ed., A Feminist Companion to Judges [Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1993], 157-70), and ''Anonymous Women and the Collapse of the Mon- archy: A Study in Narrative Technique" from A Feminist Companion to Samuel and Kings (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1994), 43-66, and to Scholars Press for permission to draw on "Anonymity and Character in the Books of Samuel," Characterization in Biblical Literature, Semeia 63 (1993)• 11741־־• Family and friends provided moral support, encouragement and laughter and thoughtfully refrained from complaining about the long hours required to prepare the final manuscript. On the home front, Barry and our two teens, Mordechai and Miriam-Simma, took over more than their fair share of kitchen and childcare responsibilities to allow me uninterrupted time in front of the computer. Shoshana and Simcha kept my spirits up with hugs, jokes and antics. My thanks and love to them all. Hamilton, Ontario A. R. August 1997 CONTENTS Abbreviations xi Introduction 3 PART I. ANONYMITY AND THE EFFACEMENT OF PERSONAL IDENTITY 1 The Bit Players 19 2 Servants, Stewards and Armor-Bearers 32 3 Transmitters of Information 45 PART II. ANONYMITY AND THE EXPRESSION OF PERSONAL IDENTITY 4 Wise Women and Unworthy Levites 63 5 Wayward Wives, Multifarious Mothers and Doomed Daughters 82 PART III. ANONYMITY AND THE BOUNDARIES OF PERSONAL IDENTITY 6 The Convergence of Characters 137 7 Character Confusion in the Heavenly Realm 154 8 Crossing the Threshold between Reader and Text 178 Conclusion 187 Selected Bibliography 193 Index of Scriptural Citations 209 Index of Modern Authors 215 Subject Index 218
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