Research Catalog
Sexual pollution in the Hebrew Bible
- Title
- Sexual pollution in the Hebrew Bible / Eve Levavi Feinstein.
- Author
- Feinstein, Eve Levavi
- Publication
- Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, USA, [2014]
- ©2014
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| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schwarzman Building to submit a request in person. | Text | Use in library | *PNC 15-32 | Schwarzman Building - Dorot Jewish Division Room 111 |
Details
- Description
- xii, 293 pages; 25 cm
- Summary
- "The concepts of purity and pollution are fundamental to the worldview reflected in the Hebrew Bible yet the ways that biblical texts apply these concepts to sexual relationships remain largely overlooked. Sexual Pollution in the Hebrew Bible argues that the concept of pollution is rooted in disgust and that pollution language applied to sexual relations expresses a sense of bodily contamination resulting from revulsion. Most texts in the Hebrew Bible that use pollution language in sexual contexts reflect a conception of women as sexual property susceptible to being "ruined" for particular men through contamination by others. In contrast, the Holiness legislation of the Pentateuch applies pollution language to men who engage in transgressive sexual relations, conveying the idea that male bodily purity is a prerequisite for individual and communal holiness. Sexual transgressions contaminate the male body and ultimately result in exile when the land vomits out its inhabitants. The Holiness legislation's conception of sexual pollution, which is found in Leviticus 18, had a profound impact on later texts. In the book of Ezekiel, it contributes to a broader conception of pollution resulting from Israel's sins, which led to the Babylonian exile. In the book of Ezra, it figures in a view of the Israelite community as a body of males contaminated by foreign women. Yet the idea of female pollution rooted in a view of women as sexual property persisted alongside the idea of male pollution as an impediment to holiness. Eva Feinstein illuminates why the idea of pollution adheres to particular domains of experience, including sex, death, and certain types of infirmity. Sexual Pollution in the Hebrew Bible allows for a more thorough understanding of sexual pollution, its particular characteristics, and the role that it plays in biblical literature"--
- "Sexual Pollution in the Hebrew Bible examines the Hebrew Bible's use of pollution language to characterize sexual relationships. Eva Feinstein argues that descriptions of female pollution reflect a view of women as sexual property, while descriptions of male pollution relate to Israel's holiness. The book enables a more thorough understanding of sexual pollution, its particular characteristics, and the role that it plays in biblical literature"--
- Subjects
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 263-281) and indexes.
- Contents
- Machine generated contents note: -- List of Abbreviations -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Purity and Pollution Ideas in the Hebrew Bible -- 3. Sexual Pollution of Women -- 4. Leviticus 18 and Sexual Pollution of Men -- 5. The Legacy of Leviticus 18 in the Hebrew Bible -- 6. Conclusion -- Appendices.
- Call Number
- *PNC 15-32
- ISBN
- 9780199395545
- 0199395543
- 9780199395552 (canceled/invalid)
- 0199395551 (canceled/invalid)
- 9780199395569 (canceled/invalid)
- 019939556X (canceled/invalid)
- LCCN
- 2014004544
- OCLC
- 875239398
- Author
- Feinstein, Eve Levavi, author.
- Title
- Sexual pollution in the Hebrew Bible / Eve Levavi Feinstein.
- Publisher
- Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, USA, [2014]
- Copyright Date
- ©2014
- Type of Content
- text
- Type of Medium
- unmediated
- Type of Carrier
- volume
- Bibliography
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 263-281) and indexes.
- Research Call Number
- *PNC 15-32