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CASE-DISSERTATION-2016.Pdf (1.713Mb) Copyright by Megan Lindsey Case 2016 The Dissertation Committee for Megan Lindsey Case Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: War, Kidnapping, Dismemberment, and Exchange: (Im)Proper Regulation of Bodies in Judges 19–21 Committee: Jo Ann Hackett, Supervisor John Traphagan Jonathan Kaplan Susan Niditch Jennifer Graber War, Kidnapping, Dismemberment, and Exchange: (Im)Proper Regulation of Bodies in Judges 19–21 by Megan Lindsey Case, B.A.; M.Div.; M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May 2016 Acknowledgements First and foremost, I wish to thank my committee whose valuable insights at all stages of this project cannot be overstated: Professor John Traphagan who constantly challenged me to make my work relevant (and interesting) to a broader audience; Professor Jennifer Graber, whose fresh eyes helped me to hone my arguments; Professor Susan Niditch, whose expertise in Judges pushed me to strive for a deeper analysis; and Professor Jonathan Kaplan who stood as the voice of reason and practicality throughout my graduate program. In particular, I am deeply appreciative of the support and guidance of my adviser, Professor Jo Ann Hackett, who has been my biggest advocate and cheerleader since before I started my graduate program. I am grateful for the assistance of Professor John Huehnergard in my etymological analyses, of Tony Keddie in my analysis of the Greek translation of Judg 19–21, and of Professor Martha Newman in my initial theoretical discussions. Besides these individuals, all the faculty in the Hebrew Bible and Religious Studies programs at the University of Texas at Austin proved invaluable to my graduate education, and I thank them for their continuous support. In addition, I am deeply appreciative of my former professors who first encouraged me along this path: Professor Charles (Buz) Myers of Gettysburg College who introduced me to biblical studies and Professor Johanna W. H. van Wijk-Bos of Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary who lured me over to the Hebrew Bible. Thanks goes out to my colleagues and cohort in the Hebrew Bible and Religious Studies programs, especially my office mates who have graciously tolerated my quirks and offered constant encouragement: Katharine; Sung Soo; Jin; and particularly Michael, my academic partner for the past five years. Special thanks also to Dr. Rachel Ozanne, for both technical support and words of wisdom. iv As someone who does not work well in isolation, I am deeply grateful for the various writing groups that have helped me complete the seemingly never-ending task of writing a dissertation: Dean Esther Raizen and the Summer 2015 College of Liberal Arts Dissertation Bootcamp; Dr. Dale Correa and the Middle Eastern Studies writing bootcamp; and Mary Hedengren and the graduate writing groups at the University Writing Center. Thank you also to Karen Chilstrom whose laughter and realism helped me find my words (and three of her own). I am particularly thankful for my Saturday study group who helped me maintain a six-day work week: Sigrid, Hillary, Cate, Oda, and especially Sarah, who has been both friend and study buddy since we started our programs five years ago. I am indebted to far more people than I can name in these acknowledgments for their assistance, however small, in completing this dissertation. To all these people, named and unnamed, I offer my thanks. Finally, I would not have succeeded in my graduate program, or in life, without the enduring support of my family, new and old, even when that support means leaving me the hell alone: Mom, Dad, Lauren, Jeremy, Courtney, Chris, Mordecai, and little Noah. v War, Kidnapping, Dismemberment, and Exchange: (Im)Proper Regulation of Bodies in Judges 19–21 Megan Lindsey Case, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2016 Supervisor: Jo Ann Hackett In this study, I examine how the foundation of the tribal society depicted in the Hebrew Bible book of Judges rests on the correct control of female and male bodies, such as through the exchange of women as wives or the rules of hospitality toward visitors, using The [Anti-] Benjaminite Novella (Judges 19–21) as a test case. I argue that this story of the rape and death of the Levite’s wife, the ensuing civil war, and eventual reconciliation between the factions stands as an example of the societal breakdown and return to normalcy in the tribal period depicted made possible through the proper and improper regulation of bodies. Scholarly interpretation on these chapters as a whole has typically focused on the apparent social disorder in the period before the monarchy which they are claimed to portray. Citing the monarchic refrain as evidence, scholars claim that the appendices to Judges (ch. 17–21) depict a society which has descended into chaos, a decline from which only the establishment of the (Davidic) monarchy can rescue the Israelites. However, regardless as to when one places the addition of these chapters to Judges, the monarchic refrain is clearly added by an editor to tie together disparate stories within the appendices. Without this refrain, these stories do not originally contain such a pro-monarchic slant. Instead, the exchange of women in Judg 21 makes it possible, through the eyes of the men, for the Benjaminite War to end in peace. As a result, rather than viewing Judg 19–21 as a story which points toward the unavoidable rise of the kingship, I argue that this story vi describes an ideal scenario of the success of Israelite society without a king in overcoming their inter-tribal conflicts. My project extends the conversation found in the scholarship on this story, expanding the discussion to include the regulation of both male and female bodies, allowing for a broader understanding of all segments of society in ancient Israel. vii Table of Contents Abbreviations ......................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................1 The [Anti-] Benjaminite Novella .....................................................................2 Judges 19–21 as a Unit ..........................................................................5 Redactional Layers......................................................................11 The Dating of the Redactions .....................................................17 Scholarly Interpretations of Judges 19–21 ....................................................24 Scholarship on the Body in the Hebrew Bible ..............................................31 Introduction to Project ..................................................................................38 Historical Caveat ..................................................................................38 Methodology ........................................................................................41 Outline of Chapters ..............................................................................43 Chapter 2: Concerning Bodies ...............................................................................46 The Concept of the Body ..............................................................................48 The Individual Body ............................................................................52 The Social Body ...................................................................................54 The Political Body ...............................................................................57 The Body and Society ...................................................................................59 World Building ....................................................................................60 Disease, Illness, and the Body .............................................................63 The Female Body in Society ................................................................68 The Body and Power .....................................................................................72 The Docile Body ..................................................................................73 The Body and Panopticism ..................................................................76 Habitus, Performativity, and Agency ...........................................................79 Bodies in the Hebrew Bible ..........................................................................88 Conclusion ....................................................................................................92 viii Chapter 3: Concerning Social Organization ..........................................................93 Kinship Practices in the Hebrew Bible .........................................................95 Intermarriage and the Threat of Apostasy ...........................................99 The Boundaries of Endogamous Marriage ........................................105 Amphictyony versus Lineage Groups ................................................111 The House and the bêt ˀāb in Ancient Israel ......................................117 Land Inheritance in the Hebrew Bible ........................................................121 Allotment of the Promised Land ........................................................122 The Significance of Land in Ancient Israel .......................................125
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