Lawrence M. Wills here traces the literary evolution of popular Jewish narratives written during the period 200 BCE-100 CE. In many ways, these narratives were similar to Greek and Roman novels of the same era, as well as to popular novels of indigenous peoples within the Roman Empire. Yet, as a group, they demonstrated a variety of novelistic innovations: the inclusion of adventurous episodes, passages of description and of dialogue, concern with psychological motivation, and the introduction of female characters. Wills focuses on five novels: Greek Esther, Greek Daniel, Judith, Tobit, and Joseph and Aseneth. Drawing on a wide range of theoretical works, he delineates the techniques and motifs of the Jewish novel, shows how the genre both initiated and distanced itself from nonfictional prose such as historical and philosophical writing, discusses its relation to Greco-Roman romance, and describes the social conditions governing its emergence and reception. Wills also places the novels in historical context, situating them between the Hebrew Bible, on the one hand, and subsequent developments in Jewish and Christian literature on the other. Wills sees the Jewish novel as a popular form of writing that provided amusement for an expanding audience of Jewish entrepreneurs, merchants, and bureaucrats. In an important sense, he maintains, it was a product of the ""novelistic impulse"" the impulse to transfer oral stories to a written medium to reach a more literate audience. Lawrence M. Wills is Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The Jewish Novel in the Ancient World and Introduction to the Apocrypha: Jewish Books in Christian Bibles

Introduction to the Apocrypha: Jewish Books in Christian Bibles

Write a review

Over 14,000 churches and schools have upgraded to an Advance Account and we‘d love to welcome you into this free program. We know that church volunteers and school teachers often use their own money, then have claim it back on on an expense form. We can take all of that hassle away by invoicing your church or school directly and delivering your order straight away.

Opening an account is quick and easy, with most accounts being approved and setup within a few hours of filling in the form below (on weekdays, not weekends). As soon as we‘ve approved the application we‘ll send you an email to let you know that its done.

Upgrade to a FREE Eden Advance Account

Author
Professor Of Biblical Studies Lawrence M Wills (episcopal Divintity School Cambridge Ma)
Book Format
Paperback / softback
Publisher
Wipf & Stock Publishers
Published
March 2015
Weight
400g
Dimensions
15 x 22.7 x 1.8 cm
ISBN
9781625648037
ISBN-10
1625648030
Eden Code
4940740