Irony and Meaning in the Hebrew Bible

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irony and meaning in the hebrew bible c a r o l y n j. s h a r p Was God being ironic in commanding Eve not to eat fruit from the tree of wisdom? Carolyn J. Sharp suggests that many stories in the Hebrew Scriptures may be ironically intended. Deftly interweaving literary theory and exegesis, Sharp illumines the power of the unspoken in a wide variety of texts from the Pentateuch, the Prophets, and the Writings. She argues that reading with irony in mind creates a charged and open rhetorical space in the texts that allows character , narration, and authorial voice to develop in unexpected ways. Main themes explored here include the ironizing of foreign rulers, the prostitute as icon of the ironic gaze, indeterminacy and dramatic irony in prophetic performance, and irony in ancient Israel’s wisdom traditions. Sharp devotes special attention to how irony destabilizes dominant ways in which the Bible is read today, especially when it touches on questions of conflict, gender, and the Other. “Carolyn Sharp has offered a magnificent exhibit of the thickness of the Hebrew Bible. Her work is a profound and exquisite invitation to reflect on prophetic imagination in its subtle subversion. ” —Walter Brueggemann Columbia Theological Seminary “Engaging, erudite, and rich with insight, Sharp’s book invites us to dwell between the said and the unsaid, to ‘hear word and silence together’ in a way that reveals irony at the very core of biblical tradition. This is a must-read for anyone interested in literary criticism, theory, and the Hebrew Bible. ” —Timothy K. Beal Case Western Reserve University s h a r p i rony and meaning in the hebrew bible R e l i g i o n irony and meaning in the hebrew bible c a r o l y n j. s h a r p Carolyn J. Sharp’s research explores the composition, redaction, and rhetoric of Hebrew Scripture texts. She has examined the representation of Hebrew Bible traditions in the Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls, urged the creation of an Old Testament theology shaped by the notion of diaspora identity, and explored the potential of biblical hermeneutics to address contemporary ecclesial debates. Sharp’s first book, Prophecy and Ideology in Jeremiah, analyzes theological and political debates that animate the prose of the Book of Jeremiah. Indiana Religion INDIANA University Press Bloomington & Indianapolis http://iupress.indiana.edu 1-800-842-6796 A sophisticated, provocative reading of the Hebrew Scriptures Indiana Studies in Biblical Literature Herbert Marks, editor ...