Constructing the Human in the Hebrew Bible - by Tanner E Walker (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Examines how biblical texts construct boundaries between human and nonhuman entities. Using critical theories from Derrida, Haraway, and Foucault, explores ancient definitions of humanness and their cultural implications, challenging readers to reconsider identity and categorization in both historical and contemporary contexts"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

While animals in the Hebrew Bible have received significant scholarly attention, the category of the human has remained underexamined. Constructing the Human in the Hebrew Bible addresses this gap by interrogating how biblical authors construct, reinforce, and challenge notions of humanness, focusing on the implications for identity, ethics, and ideological frameworks.

Drawing on critical theories from thinkers such as Jacques Derrida, Donna Haraway, and Giorgio Agamben, Tanner E. Walker reveals how biblical texts actively negotiate the boundaries between human and animal, divine and mortal, and self and other. Through case studies on creation narratives, divine-human hybrids like Samson, and depictions of Israel as subjugated animals under imperial rule, Walker highlights how biblical conceptions of humanness are deeply tied to questions of power, otherness, and the hierarchical organization of the world. He also situates the Hebrew Bible within the broader ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern traditions, exploring how biblical ideas of humanness intersect with Mesopotamian and Assyrian sources. Blending biblical studies, ancient history, and critical theory, this book provides a nuanced understanding of how ancient texts grapple with the complexities of identity.

A vital resource for scholars and students of biblical studies, religious studies, and ancient history, this book challenges long-held assumptions about identity and categorization and contributes to broader conversations about how societies construct and impose categories--insights that remain profoundly relevant in contemporary debates about identity, power, and the boundaries of the human.

Review Quotes

"Walker challenges scholars of the Hebrew Bible to take seriously the multiple ways these texts construct and deconstruct categories like human/animal. In the process, he provides compelling new readings of well-known biblical narratives in light of this larger question about constructed humanness."

--Phillip Michael Sherman, author of Babel's Tower Translated: Genesis 11 and Ancient Jewish Interpretation

About the Author

Tanner E. Walker is Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion at Wesleyan University.