âA Considerable Disturbance in the Holy Placeâ: Ritual Mourning as Efficacious Spatial Subversion in 3 Maccabees
In: Biblical InterpretationSearch for other papers by Andrew R. Krause in
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Abstract
In 3 Maccabees, the timely prayers of two priests, Simon and Eleazar, save the people and their various holy spaces. However, one related ritual element that is often overlooked is the socially disruptive mourning rites of vulnerable women. These performances immediately precede both highly efficacious prayers and accompany the arrests of those Jewish people who resisted Ptolemyâs decree. The cities, their various urban social functions, childcare, and marital rituals are all disrupted in a hyperbolic description of the disorder caused by Ptolemyâs wanton attacks on explicitly Jewish spaces. In all three cases, the texts present a highly stylized description of mourning performed in ways that disrupt and subvert the spatial expectations of the urban environs of the narrativeâs setting. This disorder is best understood as a ritual focusing that leads to the dramatic prayers of the two priests that counteract Ptolemyâs spatial trespasses.
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| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
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âA Considerable Disturbance in the Holy Placeâ: Ritual Mourning as Efficacious Spatial Subversion in 3 Maccabees
In: Biblical InterpretationSearch for other papers by Andrew R. Krause in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
In 3 Maccabees, the timely prayers of two priests, Simon and Eleazar, save the people and their various holy spaces. However, one related ritual element that is often overlooked is the socially disruptive mourning rites of vulnerable women. These performances immediately precede both highly efficacious prayers and accompany the arrests of those Jewish people who resisted Ptolemyâs decree. The cities, their various urban social functions, childcare, and marital rituals are all disrupted in a hyperbolic description of the disorder caused by Ptolemyâs wanton attacks on explicitly Jewish spaces. In all three cases, the texts present a highly stylized description of mourning performed in ways that disrupt and subvert the spatial expectations of the urban environs of the narrativeâs setting. This disorder is best understood as a ritual focusing that leads to the dramatic prayers of the two priests that counteract Ptolemyâs spatial trespasses.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 1462 | 435 | 5 |
| Full Text Views | 38 | 14 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 113 | 38 | 1 |
