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Ezra-Nehemiah as a Narrative of (Re-Invented) Israelite Identity

Ezra-Nehemiah as a Narrative of (Re-Invented) Israelite Identity <jats:sec><jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>This article applies notions of ethnic identity deriving from the work of Fredrik Barth to Ezra-Nehemiah that highlight the processes of boundary formation and maintenance. In particular, it focuses on one of the common indicia of ethnic boundaries, a shared history, here in the form of a 'narrative of ethnic identity' as explained by Stephen Cornell. Such a narrative is a story with a subject (the ethnic group in question), with action, normally in the past, and a value attached to it which bears upon the group's sense of its own worth. It covers the selection, plotting and interpretation of events. The post-exilic return of the Israelites to the land beginning under Cyrus, the erection of the Temple and the re-construction of the walls of Jerusalem described in Ezra-Nehemiah are usefully illuminated and explained when set within such a perspective. A central element of the Barthian understanding of ethnic boundaries, that they are patterns of prescription and proscription, is graphically illustrated in the account of the newly re-installed gates of the city being closed during the sabbath to keep out non-Israelite traders. A model focusing on the creation of a narrative of ethnic identity sheds considerable light on the re-invention of Israelite identity that is arguably the dominant theme in Ezra-Nehemiah.</jats:p> </jats:sec> http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Biblical Interpretation Brill

Ezra-Nehemiah as a Narrative of (Re-Invented) Israelite Identity

Biblical Interpretation , Volume 11 (3): 413 – Jan 1, 2003

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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 2003 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0927-2569
eISSN
1568-5152
DOI
10.1163/156851503322566822
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

<jats:sec><jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>This article applies notions of ethnic identity deriving from the work of Fredrik Barth to Ezra-Nehemiah that highlight the processes of boundary formation and maintenance. In particular, it focuses on one of the common indicia of ethnic boundaries, a shared history, here in the form of a 'narrative of ethnic identity' as explained by Stephen Cornell. Such a narrative is a story with a subject (the ethnic group in question), with action, normally in the past, and a value attached to it which bears upon the group's sense of its own worth. It covers the selection, plotting and interpretation of events. The post-exilic return of the Israelites to the land beginning under Cyrus, the erection of the Temple and the re-construction of the walls of Jerusalem described in Ezra-Nehemiah are usefully illuminated and explained when set within such a perspective. A central element of the Barthian understanding of ethnic boundaries, that they are patterns of prescription and proscription, is graphically illustrated in the account of the newly re-installed gates of the city being closed during the sabbath to keep out non-Israelite traders. A model focusing on the creation of a narrative of ethnic identity sheds considerable light on the re-invention of Israelite identity that is arguably the dominant theme in Ezra-Nehemiah.</jats:p> </jats:sec>

Journal

Biblical InterpretationBrill

Published: Jan 1, 2003

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