Social Theory and the Study of Israelite Religion

Saul M. Olyan is Samuel Ungerleider Jr. Professor of Judaic Studies and Professor of Religious Studies at Brown University. He is the author most recently of Social Inequality in the World of the Text: The Significance of Ritual and Social Distinctions in the Hebrew Bible (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht), Disability in the Hebrew Bible: Interpreting Mental and Physical Differences (Cambridge University Press), and Biblical Mourning: Ritual and Social Dimensions (Oxford University Press).

“This collection of essays offers a fresh, constructive engagement between social science theory and ancient Israelite religion. At the heart of the issues addressed in this volume is social conflict and negotiation, whether in the realm of the priesthood, prophecy, ritual, cult, or magic. The authors, all first-rate scholars, explore the application of social science research to a wide variety of issues in Israelite religion: different aspects of religious struggle; the impact of diaspora on traditional forms of identity and authority; the social function of communal meals; the significance of textual destruction; and the social purposes of violence and witchcraft accusations. Most usefully, the essays pose fundamental questions about the use of social science theory for biblical research. They also offer constructive criticisms and suggestions about what has been lacking in social science theorizing for the subjects that they undertake. The result is a very thoughtful work, one that builds a firmer foundation for future research for Israelite religion. With this achievement, Saul Olyan has once again done the field of biblical studies a great service. Every serious student of Israelite religion should have this book.”—Mark S. Smith, Skirball Professor of Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, New York University

Abbreviations

Introduction
Saul M. Olyan

Social Th eory and the Study of Israelite Religion: A Retrospective on the Past Forty Years of Research
Robert R. Wilson

Cult Centralization, the Erosion of Kin-Based Communities, and the Implications for Women’s Religious Practice
Susan Ackerman

The Levites and Sociocultural Change in Ancient Judah: Insights from Gerhard Lenski’s Social Th eory
Stephen L. Cook

Away from Ritual: Th e Prophetic Critique
Ronald Hendel

“They Have Become Women”: Judean Diaspora and Postcolonial Th eories of Gender and Migration
T. M. Lemos

Text Production and Destruction in Ancient Israel: Ritual and Political Dimensions
Nathaniel B. Levtow

The Function of Feasts: An Anthropological Perspective on Israelite Religious Festivals
Carol Meyers

Theorizing Violence in Biblical Ritual Contexts: The Case of Mourning Rites
Saul M. Olyan

Th eories Regarding Witchcraft Accusations and the Hebrew Bible
Rüdiger Schmitt

Ritual Th eory, Ritual Texts, and the Priestly-Holiness Writings of the Pentateuch
David P. Wright

Contributors