Language:
English
Year of publication:
2022
Titel der Quelle:
Jewish Studies Quarterly
Angaben zur Quelle:
30,1 (2022) 1-27
Keywords:
Bible. Criticism, interpretation, etc.
;
Bible. Comparative studies
;
Bible. Criticism, interpretation, etc.
;
Bible. Comparative studies
;
Jewish diaspora Social aspects
;
Psychic trauma Biblical teaching
Abstract:
This study analyzes the final form of Ezra-Nehemiah through the lens of historical trauma, which focuses on the cross-generational genetic, epigenetic and social effects of trauma. Sociologists suggest that narrative construction is essential for multigenerational resilience. Based on parallels of forced migration and colonized repatriation, I use findings about historical trauma in indigenous American communities to illuminate the experiences constructed in the Masoretic form of Ezra-Nehemiah. From a colonized perspective, Ezra-Nehemiah imagines a response of resilience to the exile and long-term colonization of repatriated Judeans. Historical trauma theory frames the reestablishment of the temple, the city walls and the law as a narrative source of agency, resilience and cultural clarity. Ezra-Nehemiah communicates to future generations that even though the trauma of exile has not ended, the ability to reassert agency and an adaptable differentiated identity is continual, pressing and restorative.
DOI:
10.1628/jsq-2023-0002
URL:
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