“Then Queen Esther Daughter of Abihail Wrote”
Gendered Agency and Ritualized Writing in Jewish Scriptural Practice
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21785252 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jonathan Homrighausen (0000-0002-2243-6847, Duke University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2023-07-18 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Postscripts The Journal of Sacred Texts Cultural Histories and Contemporary Contexts (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1743-887X • E-ISSN: 1743-8888 |
| Publisher | Equinox Publishing (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1558/post.25979 |
| OpenAlex | W4384697969 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 40 |
This article focuses on how the material form of the Esther scroll and the ritualized practices of copying it reflect changes in how Jews remember the events of Purim. I demonstrate how Purim and writing intersect with contemporary changes in women’s roles in Jewish ritual, as well as new interpretations of the Book of Esther informed by feminist readings and heightened awareness of the relationship between gender and agency. I examine Esther scrolls made by contemporary female ritual scribes (soferot) who add their own creative marks to the scrolls they copy: Nava Levine-Coren, Avielah Barclay, Jen Taylor Friedman, and Rachel Jackson. These creative touches convey their readings of the biblical text, which magnify women’s perspective and agency
Art · Art history · Copying · Daughter · Judaism · Literature · Political science · Social science · Sociology · Visual arts · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Development, Ethics, and Society · History · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Law
How Societies Remember
Ritual Consecration in the Context of Writing the Holy Scrolls
Writing Esther
The Craft of Ritual Studies
Ritualized Writing
Material Aspects of Reading in Ancient and Medieval Cultures
Snapshots of Evolving Traditions
Purim, Liminality, And Communitas
The Gospels as Imperialized Sites of Memory in Late Ancient Christianity
Reading and Carnival
Purim in the Public Eye
Politics of Devoted Resistance
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |