Clothing and body modification in the Hebrew Bible

Bibliographic Data

ID4951878
AuthorsRandy Liebermann (0000-0003-4243-2533, Washington University in St. Louis, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume15
Issue3
Publication date2021-03-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligion Compass (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1749-8171 • E-ISSN: 1749-8171
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/rec3.12389
OpenAlexW3128438425
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited53

Descriptions of clothing and body modification in the Hebrew Bible often communicate information about the wearers' identities, emotions, and changes of status. Dress studies is an interdisciplinary pursuit that has expanded greatly since the 1980s as part of a wider academic recognition that the human body is a primary site of cultural construction. Hebrew Bible scholars have increasingly recognized the value of this approach with regard to biblical texts and continue to explore its multifaceted dimensions. The studies to date include examinations of permanent body modifications in the Hebrew Bible: circumcision, scarification, tattooing, and piercing. Scholars have also analyzed temporary body modifications, such as styling or cutting the hair and applying cosmetics. Additionally, there are studies of the supplements added to the body, most notably clothing and jewelry. When examined in their social context, biblical descriptions of clothing and body modification reveal important information about the figures involved, the development of a narrative, and the ideologies of biblical writers

Aesthetics · Art · Biblical studies · Body piercing · Clothing · Hebrew · Hebrew Bible · Literature · Narrative · Sociology · Fashion and Cultural Textiles · Gender Studies · History · Psychology · Sex work and related issues · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology

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