Where Is God in the Megilloth?

A Dialogue on the Ambiguity of Divine Presence and Absence
Erscheinungsjahr 2018
ISBN: 978-90-04-36870-5
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, Band 73, 224 Seiten, Format (B × H): 160 mm x 236 mm, Gewicht: 476 g

Reihe: Oudtestamentische Studiën, Old Testament Studies

In Where is God in the Megilloth? Brittany N. Melton constructs a dialogue among Ruth, Esther, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs centred on this question, in an effort to settle the debate about whether God is present or absent in these books. Their juxtaposition in the Hebrew Bible highlights their shared theme of apparent divine absence, but, paradoxically, traces of God’s presence are unearthed as well.
By examining various aspects of this theme, including the literary absence of God, divine abandonment, God-talk, allusive language, God’s providence, and divine silence, it becomes clear that the ambiguity of divine presence and absence in the Megilloth presents a significant challenge to current conceptualizations of divine presence and absence in the Hebrew Bible.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Melton, Brittany

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Natur und Existenz Gottes
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Bibelwissenschaften

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgements
Abbreviations

Introduction: Where is God in the Megilloth?
The Complexity of Conceptualizing Divine Presence and Absence in the Hebrew Bible
The Contribution of the Megilloth for Conceptualizing Divine Presence and Absence
In Search of God in the Megilloth

1 The Controversy of Divine Presence and Absence
Debating Divine Presence and Absence in the Hebrew Bible
Debating Divine Presence and Absence in the Megilloth
Summary

2 Five Books in Dialogue on Divine Presence and Absence
Biblical Texts in Dialogue: A Literary-theological Approach
Table Conversation: A Methodological Metaphor
Discovering the Dialogue

3 Perceiving Divine Absence
Literary Absence of God: A Dialogue between Song of Songs and Esther
Divine Abandonment: A Dialogue between Lamentations and Ruth
Summary of Divine Absence

4 Perceiving Divine Presence
God-talk: A Dialogue among Ecclesiastes, Ruth, and Lamentations
The Edenic Presence of God: A Dialogue between Lamentations and Song of Songs
Summary of Divine Presence

5 Perceiving Divine Providence
Miqreh in Retrospect: A Dialogue between Ruth and Ecclesiastes
Divine-Human Action: A Dialogue between Ruth and Esther
Summary of Divine Providence

6 Perceiving Divine Silence: A Dialogue among the Megilloth
Differentiating Impressions of Divine Silence
Comparing Incomprehensible Divine Silence in Ecclesiastes and Lamentations
Summary of Divine Silence

Conclusion: The Ambiguity of Divine Presence and Absence in the Megilloth
Implications
Suggestions for Further Research

Bibliography
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Brittany N. Melton, Ph.D. (2017), University of Cambridge, is Assistant Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida. She has published several book chapters, including “‘Oh, that I knew where I might find him’: Aspects of Divine Absence in Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes” in Exploring Old Testament Wisdom (Apollos, 2016).