This paper is a comparison of narrative in Genesis and Midrash Genesis Rabbah, using as a sample each text's version of the story of Cain and Abel. The paper begins with a survey of the study of Bible as literature and Midrash as literature, examining the work of Robert Alter, Meir Sternberg, Wesley A. Kort, Isaak Heinemann, Ofra Meir, David Stern and Jacob Neusner. Following this is a close reading and poetic analysis of the two primary texts, then a summary and comparison of narrative conventions and techniques. Narrative is examined according to the considerations of plot, character, narration and meaning. Further conclusions are drawn regarding the different portrayal of God in biblical and midrashic discourse, attitudes toward paradox and ambiguity, and strategies for achieving ideological and rhetorical goals.

No description available.

The biblical narrative of Jephthah and his daughter (Judges 11:31-40) recounts the story of the judge, Jephthah, who vowed to sacrifice to God whatever came to greet him upon his return from a victorious battle with Ammon, and whose daughter became the victim of this vow. The goal of this thesis is to examine a sample of the Jewish responses to this biblical narrative from ancient and medieval times through the twentieth century. The analysis demonstrates the difficult nature of this text, its linguistic and conceptual ambiguities, the solutions to a well-defined series of problems proposed by more than two dozen interpreters, and their failure to deal with most of the historical and ethical problems that emerge from the story.

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This study of the Salome legend in the arts covers the historical background of the Salome legend, Salome in the early Christian era and in the Middle Ages, Salome in the Renaissance, and Salome in modern times.

Thesis (S.T.M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 72-80).

This thesis traces the history of Jewish Bible interpretations of Genesis 38, a story that is significant for the history of the early Israelites and today's Jews, as it purports to describe the origins of the Davidic line. I have exposed the possible implications of this account throughout history by exploring interpretations from biblical to modern times and have attempted to define the various difficulties that are addressed. This history is presented as a dialogue and, in this way, I have explored the intricate connections between interpreters and their proposed understandings of the narrative.

Thesis (S.T.M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 72-80).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed September 19, 2006). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.