Character Complexity in the Book of Ruth (Forschungen Zum Alten Testament 2.Reihe)

Kristin Moen Saxegaard demonstrates how character complexity is portrayed in the Old Testament, exemplified by the Book of Ruth. Each character in the story has its specific voice which raises a particular topic; Naomi proclaims her bitterness, Boaz is the merry character, Ruth stresses that she is a foreigner, and Yahweh is silent. Thus, character complexity generates theological themes, such as the problem of being a foreigner, and the question of God's silence. The interaction between the characters' voices elaborates multiple and nuanced perspectives to these themes which offer new approaches and alternative answers to the reading of Ruth. The biblical characters stand as examples of how certain problems are dealt with in the biblical literature, and, to the modern reader, they might stand as an example of how real life is as well. Cover Dedication Preface Table of Contents Technical Information Part I Introduction Chapter 1 The Problem 1.1 Character Studies 1.2 Approaching the Characters 1.3 Disposition Chapter 2 Methodological Reflections 2.1 Biblical Narratology 2.2 The Act of Reading 2.2.1 The Implied Reader 2.2.2 Reading between Texts 2.3 Characters 2.3.1 What is a Character? 2.3.2 Character Types 2.3.3 Characterization 2.3.4 Point of View 2.4 Personal Names as Character Description 2.4.1 The Meaning of Personal Names 2.4.1.1 The Study of Personal Names 2.4.1.2 From Etymology to Popular Etymology 2.4.1.3 Word Similarities 2.4.1.4 Changing of Names 2.4.2 The Literary Function of Personal Names 2.4.2.1 Occurrence 2.4.2.2 Anonymity 2.4.3 Naming 2.5 Plot and Narrative Structure 2.5.1 Plots 1 and 2: Fertility 2.5.2 Plot 3: God’s Role – and Ruth’s 2.6 Dating 2.6.1 References to the Past 2.6.2 The Genealogy 2.6.3 Purpose as Dating 2.6.4 The Chronology of the Texts 2.6.5 Canon 2.7 Social and Political Structures 2.7.1 Family Structures 2.7.1.1 Daughter (-in-Law) 2.7.1.2 Mother-in-Law 2.7.1.3 The Levirate Institution 2.7.1.4 Widow 2.7.2 Ideological Context 2.7.2.1 Foreigners in the Old Testament Literature 2.7.2.2 Intermarriage in Ezra and Nehemiah 2.7.2.3 Intermarriage in the Chronicles 2.8 Genre 2.8.1 Narrative Fiction and the References to Memory 2.8.2 Family and Birth Narrative 2.8.3 Polemic Literature 2.9 Summary Part II Character Analysis Chapter 3 Minor Characters 3.1 3.1.1 3.1.2 From Anonymity to Identification 3.2 Elimelech 3.2.1 3.2.2 Naming Elimelech 3.2.2.1 The Ephrathite 3.2.2.2 Naomi’s Husband 3.2.3 Elimelech’s Role in the Plot 3.2.4 The Name Elimelech as Marker on God 3.3 Mahlon and Chilion 3.3.1 The Names 3.3.2 Naming Mahlon and Chilion 3.3.3 Chilion and Mahlon’s Roles in the Plot 3.4 Orpah 3.4.1 3.4.2 Naming Orpah 3.4.3 Orpah’s Role in the Plot 3.5 Peloni Almoni 3.5.1 Anonymity 3.5.2 Mr So-and-So’s Role in the Plot 3.6 Obed 3.6.1 The Name  3.6.2 Naming Obed 3.6.3 Obed’s Role in the Plot – and in the Narrative 3.6.4 Obed and the Genealogy 3.7 Summary Chapter 4 Naomi 4.1. Naomi’s Names 4.1.2 – the Bitter 4.1.2.1 Meaning and Occurrence 4.1.2.2 Changing Naomi’s Name 4.1.1 4.1.1.1 Naomi as Indirect Wordplay 4.1.1.2 Occurrences 4.2 Naming Naomi 4.2.1 The Wife 4.2.2 The Mother-in-Law 4.3 Naomi’s Actions 4.3.1 Naomi and Her Daughters-in-law 4.3.2 Naomi and Ruth 4.3.3 Naomi and God 4.3.3.1 4.3.3.2 Theology of Complaint 4.3.3.3 Is Naomi a Job? 4.3.3.4 Summary 4.3.4 Naomi’s Transformation 4.3.4.1 Naomi’s Modest Answer 4.3.4.2 Naomi’s Awakening 4.3.4.3 Naomi’s Plan 4.3.5 The Nurse 4.3.5.1 Being a Nurse 4.3.5.2 Naomi’s Silence 4.4 Summary Chapter 5 Ruth 5.1 5.1.1 Meaning 5.1.2 Occurrences 5.1.3 The Name Ruth outside the Narrative 5.2 Naming Ruth 5.2.1 The Moabite 5.2.1.1 Moabite as Intertextual Reference 5.2.2 The Daughter(-in-Law) 5.2.2.1 Your Daughter-in-Law who Loves You 5.2.2.2 Who is More to You than Seven Sons 5.2.2.3 Daughter 5.2.3 The Namings of Ruth as related to Boaz 5.2.3.1 Young Girl 5.2.3.2 Maidservant 5.2.3.3 Handmaid 5.2.3.4 Worthy Woman 5.2.4 The Late Man’s Wife 5.2.5 I Am 5.2.6 Who Are You? 5.2.7 Summary 5.3 Ruth’s Action 5.3.1 Clinging to Naomi 5.3.2 Is Ruth a Proselyte? 5.3.2.1 Houses 5.3.3 Ruth and Boaz 5.3.3.1 At the Harvest Field 5.3.3.2 At the Threshing Floor 5.3.4 Motherhood 5.4 Summary Chapter 6 Boaz 6.1 6.1.1 Meaning 6.1.1.1 The Temple Pillar 6.1.1.2 The Significance of Boaz’ Name 6.1.2 Occurrences 6.1.2.1 Two Introductions 6.1.2.2 The Seventh Name of the Genealogy 6.2 Naming Boaz 6.2.1 An Acquaintance of Might and Honour 6.2.1.1 Acquaintance or Relative of Her Husband’s? 6.2.1.2 A Man of Might and Honour 6.2.2 Boaz, the Redeemer 6.2.2.1 Among Our Redeemers 6.2.2.2 You Are a Redeemer 6.2.2.3 I Am No Redeemer 6.2.2.4 Naomi’s Redeemer in the End 6.3 Boaz’ Actions 6.3.1 The Redemtion of Ruth by Boaz 6.3.1.1 Boaz, the Merry 6.3.1.2 Secret Night Scene 6.3.1.3 Boaz’ Plan 6.3.1.4 Who acquires Whom? Textual Criticism of Ruth 4:5 6.3.1.5 Boaz the Trickster 6.3.1.6 Preserving Mahlon’s Name 6.3.1.7 Boaz’ Interest in Ruth 6.3.2 Boaz and Yahweh 6.3.2.1 Bringing Yahweh’s Blessing 6.3.2.2 Replacing Yahweh with Boaz 6.3.2.3 From Boaz’ Wings to Yahweh’s 6.4 Summary Chapter 7 God 7.1. God’s Names 7.1.1 Yahweh 7.1.2 Shaddai 7.2 Naming Yahweh 7.2.1 Elohim 7.2.1.1 From Orpah’s god to Naomi’s 7.2.1.2 Yahweh, Israel’s God 7.3 Yahweh’s Actions 7.3.1 God the Bringer of Bread 7.3.2 God the Prosecutor and Judge 7.3.3 Blessings in the Name of Yahweh 7.3.4 Yahweh, the Conceiver 7.3.4.1 Pregnancy and God’s Blessing 7.3.4.2 The Pregnancy of Ruth 7.3.5 Hesed 7.3.5.1 Meanings of 7.3.5.2 Hesed in Ruth 7.3.6 The Silence of God 7.3.6.1 The Absence of God in its Old Testament Context 7.3.6.2 God’s Silence in Ruth 7.4. Summary Part III Conclusion Chapter 8 God’s Hesed in a Moabite 8.1 Summaries 8.2 Foreign Identity 8.2.1 Foreign Presence in the Book of Ruth 8.3 God’s Silence 8.3.1 God’s Silence from the Characters’ Points of View 8.3.2 God’s Hesed, and Ruth’s 8.4 High Fidelity Bibliography Index of References Index of Modern Authors Index of Subjects HauptbeschreibungKristin Moen Saxegaard demonstrates how character complexity is portrayed in the Old Testament, exemplified by the Book of Ruth. Each character in the story has its specific voice which raises a particular topic; Naomi proclaims her bitterness, Boaz is the merry character, Ruth stresses that she is a foreigner, and Yahweh is silent. Thus, character complexity generates theological themes, such as the problem of being a foreigner, and the question of God's silence. The interaction between the characters' voices elaborates multiple and nuanced perspectives to these themes which Kristen Moen Saxegaard demonstrates how character complexity generates theological themes in the Book of Ruth. Each character has its specific voice which raises a particular topic. The interaction between the characters elaborates multiple perspectives to these themes, which offer new approaches and alternative answers to the reading of Ruth.