The 'Tribes' of Israel? a Bible Translator's Dilemma
This article written from a Bible's translator's perspective takes issue with the way in which the use and translation of certain ethnic terms in the Hebrew Bible con tinues to distort the understanding of ancient pre-monarchic Israelite society. The dominance of models drawing from wester...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
Published: |
1998
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In: |
Journal for the study of the Old Testament
Year: 1998, Volume: 23, Issue: 81, Pages: 15-29 |
IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament |
Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Summary: | This article written from a Bible's translator's perspective takes issue with the way in which the use and translation of certain ethnic terms in the Hebrew Bible con tinues to distort the understanding of ancient pre-monarchic Israelite society. The dominance of models drawing from western-European systems is no doubt a con tributory factor. What kind of social entity is suggested by these terms? What in fact was the social character of ancient pre-monarchic Israelite society? The paper focuses attention on the problem of 'tribal identity' in pre-monarchic Israelite soci ety. A review of the complex process of 'retribalization' in the African context is taken as a basis for reflecting on the Israelite case. It is suggested that social pro cesses in some contemporary peasant societies offer useful insights for understand ing ancient societies. In conclusion a reinterpretation of ancient Israelite kinship terms as used in the Hebrew Bible is attempted. |
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ISSN: | 1476-6728 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the Old Testament
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/030908929802308102 |