Udders, Queer Nests, and Animal Family Trees: Kinship as Keyword in Animal Studies in the Bible
In: Biblical InterpretationSearch for other papers by Beth Berkowitz in
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Abstract
How might kinship help us think about animals in the Bible, and, conversely, how can the Bible help us think about animal kinship? I propose that the concept of kinship can help us take next steps in Animal Studies in the Bible. After defining kinship and reviewing work on human-animal studies, I turn to animal-animal kinship, the “mutuality of being” that animals share not with humans but with each other. I focus on the four “animal family” laws of the Pentateuch and the so-called humanitarian rationale that has dominated interpretation of them. Pointing to problems with that rationale, I turn to rabbinic reception of these laws in the Mishnah, which, I argue, takes a very different approach that deserves our attention. I close with scientific and source critical perspectives, along with reflection on the real-life stakes of attending to the Bible’s animal families.
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Udders, Queer Nests, and Animal Family Trees: Kinship as Keyword in Animal Studies in the Bible
In: Biblical InterpretationSearch for other papers by Beth Berkowitz in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
How might kinship help us think about animals in the Bible, and, conversely, how can the Bible help us think about animal kinship? I propose that the concept of kinship can help us take next steps in Animal Studies in the Bible. After defining kinship and reviewing work on human-animal studies, I turn to animal-animal kinship, the “mutuality of being” that animals share not with humans but with each other. I focus on the four “animal family” laws of the Pentateuch and the so-called humanitarian rationale that has dominated interpretation of them. Pointing to problems with that rationale, I turn to rabbinic reception of these laws in the Mishnah, which, I argue, takes a very different approach that deserves our attention. I close with scientific and source critical perspectives, along with reflection on the real-life stakes of attending to the Bible’s animal families.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 822 | 309 | 12 |
| Full Text Views | 72 | 10 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 161 | 12 | 0 |
