Jethro and the Jews
Subtitle: Jewish Biblical Interpretation and the Question of Identity
Publisher: BRILL
Published: 2017
Language: eng
Number of pages: 178
ISBN-13: 9789004348912
Subjects: Bible, criticism, interpretation, etc., o. t. pentateuch; Rabbinical literature, history and criticism; Jews, identity
Description: In 'Jethro and the Jews', Beatrice J. W. Lawrence examines rabbinic texts that address the biblical character of Jethro, a Midianite priest, Moses' advisor and father-in-law, and the creator of the system of Jewish jurisprudence. Lawrence explores biblical interpretations in Midrash, Targum and Talmud, revealing a spectrum of responses to the presence of a man who straddles the line between insider and outsider. Ranging from character assassination to valorization of Jethro as a convert, these interpretive strategies reveal him to be a locus of anxiety for the rabbis concerning conversion, community boundaries, intermarriage, and non-Jews.