Terror all around : horror, monsters, and theology in the Book of Jeremiah

Author(s)

    • Kalmanofsky, Amy

Bibliographic Information

Terror all around : horror, monsters, and theology in the Book of Jeremiah

Amy Kalmanofsky

(Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament studies, 390)(T & T Clark library of Biblical studies)

T & T Clark, c2008

  • : hbk

Other Title

Terror all around : the rhetoric of horror in the Book of Jeremiah

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Note

Bibliography: p. [144]-156

Includes indexes

Description and Table of Contents

Description

Amy Kalmanofsky applies horror theory to the book of "Jeremiah" and considers the nature of biblical horror and the objects that provoke horror, as well as the ways texts like "Jeremiah" work to elicit horror from their audience.Among the many strategies of persuasive speech, biblical prophets often employ a rhetoric of horror. Prophets use verbal threats and graphic images of destruction to terrify their audience. Contemporary horror theory provides insight into the rhetoric of horror employed by the prophets.Kalmanofsky begins by analyzing the emotional response of horror as reflected in characters' reactions to terrifying entities in the book of "Jeremiah". Horror, she concludes, is a composite emotion consisting of fear in response to a threatening entity and a corresponding response of shame either directed toward one's self or felt on behalf of another. Having considered the nature of horror, she turns to the objects that elicit horror and consider their ontological qualities and the nature of the threat they pose.There are two central monstrous figures in the book of "Jeremiah" - aggressor God and defeated Israel. Both of these monsters refuse to be integrated into and threaten to disintegrate the expected order of the universe. She then presents a close, rhetorical reading of "Jeremiah" 6 and consider the way this text works to horrify its audience. The book concludes by considering fear's place within religious experience and the theological implications of a rhetoric that portrays God and Israel as monsters.Over the last 30 years this pioneering series has established an unrivalled reputation for cutting-edge international scholarship in Biblical Studies and has attracted leading authors and editors in the field. The series takes many original and creative approaches to its subjects, including innovative work from historical and theological perspectives, social-scientific and literary theory, and more recent developments in cultural studies and reception history.

Table of Contents

  • Introduction
  • The Horror
  • Shock and Shame: The Language of Horror
  • Shock and Shame: The Images of Horror.
  • The Horrible
  • Monstrous God
  • Monstrous Israel.
  • A Strategy of Terror: The Rhetoric of Horror in Jeremiah 6.
  • Fear and Faith: Monsters and Theology in the Book of Jeremiah as a monster?

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