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The Harlot by the Side of the Road: Forbidden Tales of the Bible / Jonathan Kirsch. 1st ed. New York: Ballantine Books, 1997

 Book
Collection number: NAMOSRL BS1199.S45 K57 1997 (Circulating)

Description

Discusses several stories in the Old Testament of the Bible which deal with sex, violence, and scandal which are frequently suppressed or mistranslated. Places each story within the political and social context of its time, explores why it was written down and added to the Bible, and why it was originally censored. Also includes a section titled "Who really wrote the Bible?"

Dates

  • Publication: 1997

Creator

Extent

1 Books (x, 378 pages) : maps ; 25 cm

Language

English

Contents

Maps (p.xi-xiii)

Forbidden tales of the Bible (p.1-14)

Lot and his daughters (p.15-34)

Life against death: the sacred incest of Lot's daughters (p.35-61)

The rape of Dinah (p.62-75)

"See what a scourge is laid upon your hate": the strange affair of Dinah and Shechem (p.76-99)

Tamar and Judah (p.100123)

The woman who willed herself into history: Tamar as the harlot by the side of the road (p.124-144)

Zipporah and Moses (p.145-154)

The bridegroom of blood: Zipporah as the goddess-rescuer of Moses (p.155-179)

Jephthah and his daughter (p.180-201)

A goddess of Israel: the forbidden cult of Jephthah's daughter (p.202-229)

The traveler and his concubine (p.230-242)

God and gyno-sadism: heroines and martyrs in the Book of Judges (p.243-261)

Tamar and Amnon (p.262-279)

The rape of Tamar: the politics of love and hate in the court of King David (p.280-304)

God's novel has suspense (p.305-314)

Appendix: Who Really Wrote the Bible? (p.315-332)

Chronology (p.333-336)

Endnotes (p.337-349)

Acknowledgments (p.350-352)

Recommended Reading and Bibliography (p.353-367)

Index (p.369-378)

Repository Details

Part of the Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Valdosta State University Archives, Odum Library
1500 N. Patterson St.
Valdosta GA 30601 United States
7063728116
229-259-5055 (Fax)