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Infertility in 1 Samuel 1: Toward a Hermeneutic of Reproduction

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Southern Methodist University SMU Scholar Religious Studies Theses and Dissertations Religious Studies Spring 5-18-2019 Infertility in 1 Samuel 1: Toward a Hermeneutic of Reproduction David A. Schones Southern Methodist University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.smu.edu/religious_studies_etds Part of the Biblical Studies Commons Recommended Citation Schones, David A., "Infertility in 1 Samuel 1: Toward a Hermeneutic of Reproduction" (2019). Religious Studies Theses and Dissertations. 14. https://scholar.smu.edu/religious_studies_etds/14 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Religious Studies at SMU Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Religious Studies Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of SMU Scholar. For more information, please visit http://digitalrepository.smu.edu. INFERTILITY IN 1 SAMUEL 1: TOWARD A HERMENEUTIC OF REPRODUCTION Approved by: _______________________________________ Prof. Susanne Scholz Professor of Old Testament ___________________________________ Prof. Roy L. Heller Professor of Old Testament ___________________________________ Prof. Harold J. Recinos Professor of Church and Society ___________________________________ Prof. Timothy Sandoval Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible INFERTILITY IN 1 SAMUEL 1: TOWARD A HERMENEUTIC OF REPRODUCTION A Dissertation Presented to the Graduate Faculty of Dedman College Southern Methodist University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Religious Studies by David A. Schones B.A., University of Oklahoma; M.T.S., Brite Divinity School May 18, 2019 Copyright (2019) David A. Schones All Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are many colleagues who have helped me reach this point in my research. I am sure that I will not be able to thank them all. Still, I would like to recognize some who have offered their support, advice, and expertise on this project. I especially want to thank my advisor and dissertation committee chair, Susanne Scholz. Your tireless effort and willingness to work with me has profoundly shaped my research, my academic career, and my life. You challenged me to become a better scholar, you made me focus on the important aspects of my research, and you have helped me turn an idea into a hermeneutic of reproduction. It has been a great honor to have the opportunity to collaborate with you. I appreciate everything you have done. I would also like to thank members of my dissertation committee, Roy L. Heller, Harold J. Recinos, and Timothy Sandoval. You have all given me excellent advice, read early drafts of my chapters, and offered feedback on my research. I cannot thank all of you enough for helping shape this project. Additionally, I want to thank Meghan Henning and Chris de Wet, chairs of the Healthcare and Disability in the Ancient World program unit of the Society of Biblical Literature. The opportunity to give two presentations on my dissertation proposal and Chapter 5 has been very helpful during this process. I appreciate the feedback on my proposal offered by Laurel W. Koepf-Taylor. You gave me excellent advice during the early part of this project. I want to thank my colleagues in the graduate program of religious studies at Southern Methodist University. You have all offered wonderful feedback on my work both inside and outside the classroom. I also want to thank John R. Levison and Serge Frolov for their roles in helping me iv reach this point in my career. Additionally, I want to thank the Dedman College Graduate Student Assembly at Southern Methodist University that provided a research grant for this dissertation. Finally, I could not have gotten to this point without the support and help of my wife, Courtney. You have given me the chance to pursue this opportunity. Thank you for listening to my constant discussion on biblical infertility, keeping me motivated as I worked, and helping me deal with the stress of this project. I also wish to thank my two children, Hannah and Joseph. You have kept me grounded, reminded me to take breaks, and helped me enjoy every day. Finally, I want to thank my extended family. You have all helped Courtney and me with our children during the past few years. You have been a wonderful support system that has helped make this dissertation possible. Thank you so much. v Schones, David A. B.A., University of Oklahoma; M.T.S., Brite Divinity School Infertility in 1 Samuel 1: Toward a Hermeneutic of Reproduction Advisor: Professor Susanne Scholz Doctor of Philosophy conferred May 18, 2019 Dissertation completed May 2, 2019 This dissertation explores the need for an interpretation of 1 Samuel 1 that is grounded in social-scientific scholarship on infertility. The study analyzes biblical interpretations on 1 Samuel 1 in the five decades that feminist-disability scholarship on infertility has emerged in the social sciences. Accordingly, the exegetical readings analyzed in this study were produced in the same time frame during which feminist-disability scholarship began to be articulated in earnest. The study demonstrates the necessity for interpreting 1 Samuel 1 with social-scientific research on infertility in mind. If such scholarship is not taken into account, biblical readings remain stuck in outdated terminology and uninformed assumptions about Hannah’s involuntary childlessness. Social-scientific scholarship has produced four models on infertility that need to inform the interpretation of 1 Samuel 1. The models are the social constructionist, misfit, enacted, and felt models. Employing the four models, the study shows that Hannah’s infertility is stigmatized on familial and personal levels. It also demonstrates that involuntary childlessness must be understood within its cultural-literary context. The study challenges the economic and religious explanations for Hannah’s infertility and counters biblical interpretations that view her involuntary childlessness as caused by economic distress, misfortune, or God. Most importantly, the application of the four models develops a reading centered on Hannah as an infertile woman. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Infertility and 1 Samuel 1: An Introduction ........................................................................ 1 1.1 Five Reasons for a Hermeneutic of Reproduction: The Present State of the Problem ....... 4 1.2 From Barrenness to Infertility: Biblical and Social-Scientific Terms for Childlessness .... 8 1.2.1 Barrenness: A Critique of the Biblical Term ............................................................. 8 1.2.2 Infertility, Involuntary Childlessness, and Child-Free: Social-Scientific Terms ..... 11 1.2.3 Infertility and Involuntary Childlessness: Issues of Terminology ........................... 13 1.3 The Ideological-Critical Evaluation of Infertility: Issues of Method ............................... 13 1.4 Social-Scientific Models for the Study of Infertility: A Brief Overview ......................... 16 1.5 Towards a Hermeneutic of Reproduction: Chapter Outlines ............................................ 18 2 Historical-Critical and Literary Interpretations of “Barrenness” in 1 Samuel 1 ........... 22 2.1 Historical-Critical Interpretations Based on the Economic Category ............................... 24 2.1.1 Infertility as a Problem to the Patrilineal System: The Interpretation of Peter R. Ackroyd ................................................................................................................... 24 2.1.2 Infertility as a Symbol for Israel’s Suffering: The Interpretation of James D. Newsome ................................................................................................................. 27 2.1.3 Infertility and Economic Exploitation in India: The Interpretation of Gnana Robinson .................................................................................................................. 29 2.2 Historical-Critical Interpretations Based on the Religious Category ............................... 31 2.2.1 God’s Power over Infertility: The Interpretation of P. Kyle McCarter ................... 32 2.2.2 Infertility and the Broken Covenant: The Interpretation of Walter Brueggemann .. 34 2.2.3 Critique of the Judges Cycle: The Interpretation of Feidhlimidh T. Magennis ....... 36 2.3 Literary Interpretations Based on the Economic Category ............................................... 38 vii 2.3.1 The Psychological Profiles of Hannah’s Family: The Interpretation of J. P. Fokkelman ............................................................................................................... 39 2.3.2 An Anthropological Analysis of Infertility: The Interpretation of Philip Esler....... 41 2.3.3 Infertility and the Annunciation Type-Scene: The Interpretation of Robert Alter .. 43 2.4 Literary Interpretations Based on the Religious Category ................................................ 45 2.4.1 Deconstructing Retributive Theology: The Interpretation of Peter D. Miscall ....... 46 2.4.2 Infertility and the Artistry of the Deuteronomist: The Interpretation of Robert Polzin ....................................................................................................................... 47 2.4.3 Infertility and Character Development: The Interpretation of John Petersen .......... 50 2.5 Beyond the Biblical Rhetoric of “Barrenness” in 1 Samuel 1: A Conclusion .................. 52 3 Disability and Feminist Interpretations of Infertility in 1 Samuel 1 ...............................
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