Jeremias, die dritte Taube und Rahel als Friedensbringer: Zu Stefan Zweigs gewagten biblischen (Um)Deutungen

While a number of Stefan Zweig's works echo biblical themes, his play Jeremias and his two legends, "Die Legende der dritten Taube" and "Rahel rechtet mit Gott," might be his most radical departures from the biblical account. Zweig's Jeremias, who anachronistically quotes passages from the Hebrew Bible as well as the New Testament, appears as a Christ figure. The syncretism Zweig employed can be seen as an attempt to amplify Jeremias' pacifist message. In "Die Legende der dritten Taube" Zweig expresses his yearning for peace during World War I, while Rahel, "the Mother of Israel," takes on God in "Rahel rechtet mit Gott ." In his most provocative legend, Zweig depicts Rahel as a proto-feminist who, unlike her husband Jacob, succeeds in her physical and quite erotic struggle with God and brings peace to the people of Israel.