{"product_id":"according-to-the-law-reading-ezra-9-10-as-christian-scripture-9781575067032","title":"“According to the Law”: Reading Ezra 9–10 as Christian Scripture","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eChristian interpreters have struggled with the story of Ezra 9–10 for many reasons. Its apparent legalism and racism, as well as its advocacy of divorce as a solution for intermarriage, is unacceptable for many Christians, yet this incident is presented in implicitly positive terms, and the narrative forms a part of Scripture. What then should a Christian reader make of such a story, not least from the vantage point of the NT?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe troubling aspects of the incident are considered in Part I through a detailed exegesis outlining the exiles’ legal reasoning, rooted in pentateuchal laws. Part II then discusses questions of a broader hermeneutical framework. Saysell suggests that prior Christian assumptions, such as the combination of scriptural authority and the primacy of narrative in interpretation, can lead to an unhelpful way of reading stories that takes them as examples to follow\/avoid rather than invites engagement for the renewing of the mind (Rom 12:1–2). One also needs to consider how such a difficult question as intermarriage is handled in the rest of the canon (and in tradition), which put into perspective the solution offered and constrains the meaning of the primary text. Specifically, “the holy seed” rationale (Ezra 9:2), which gives rise to the charge of racism, is shown to have flourished briefly in the Second Temple Period but proved to be a dead end in the long run. A comparison with the NT treatment of a specific intermarriage crisis in 1 Cor 7:12–16, as well as with other, present-day solutions, can highlight what went wrong in the exilic reasoning and yet what constructive challenge the text as Scripture may hold for the Christian reader.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eACKNOWLEDGEMENTS\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eABBREVIATIONS\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePART I\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e1 INTRODUCTION\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e2 ATTITUDES TO THE “LAW”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.1 CHRISTIAN APPROACHES\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.2 JEWISH RESPONSES\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.3 CONCLUSION\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e3 THE CONTEXT OF EZRA 9–10\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.1 WIDER CONTEXT: NEHEMIAH 9\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.2 IMMEDIATE CONTEXT: EZRA 7–8\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.3 EZRA 9:1–2: THE CRISIS\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.4 CONCLUSION\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e4 THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE NATIONS\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.1 THE LIST OF NATIONS IN EZRA 9:1\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.2 ABOMINATIONS IN EZRA\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.3 THE IDENTITY OF THE “FOREIGN WOMEN”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.4 A COMPARISON WITH NEH 13\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.5 CONCLUSION\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e5 ḤĒREM LAW AND EZRA 9–10\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.1 ENEMY ḤĒREM IN THE OT\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.2 PROPERTY ḤĒREM IN THE OT\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.3 DEDICATION AND DESTRUCTION\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.4 ENEMY ḤĒREM IN EZRA 9–10\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.5 ḤĒREM OF PROPERTY IN EZRA 10:8\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.6 CONCLUSION\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e6 HOLY SEED AND INTERMINGLING\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.1 “HOLY SEED”: A DISTINCT RATIONALE\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.2 THE BACKGROUND FOR THE HOLY SEED RATIONALE\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.3 SIMILAR DEVELOPMENTS IN JEWISH LITERATURE\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.4 NEW RATIONALE: WHY NEEDED?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.5 CONCLUSION\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e7 PROFANATION AND IMPURITY\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.1 PURITY TERMINOLOGY\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.2 SACRILEGE IN EZRA 9–10?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.3 THE STATUS OF THE “FOREIGN” WIVES: PROFANE OR IMPURE?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.4 MAʿAL AND PURITY LANGUAGE IN NEH 13:23–31\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e7.5 CONCLUSION\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e8 CONCLUSION TO PART I\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePART II\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e9 INTRODUCTION TO A CHRISTIAN READING OF EZRA 9–10\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e10 EZRA 9–10 IN CHRISTIAN INTERPRETATION\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e10.1 OT THEOLOGIES\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e10.2 EN COMMENTARIES\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e10.3 CONCLUSION\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e11 EZRA 9–10 IN JEWISH UNDERSTANDING\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.1 JEWISH PERSPECTIVES\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.2 ACCOUNTING FOR THE DIFFERENCE\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.3 CONCLUSION\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e12 CONSTRAINTS FROM CANON AND TRADITION\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.1 EZRA 9–10 IN THE CHRISTIAN CANON\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.2 LESSONS FROM TRADITION\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.3 CONCLUSION\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e13 NT PERSPECTIVE: 1 COR 7:12–16\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.1 JEWISH AND HELLENISTIC BACKGROUND\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.2 THE NATURE OF SANCTIFICATION\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.3 HOW SANCTIFICATION IS TRANSMITTED\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.4 THE PRECEDENT FOR PAUL’S THINKING\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.5 A CLASH OF LAWS: THE PRIORITIES\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.6 2 COR 6:14–7:1\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e13.7 CONCLUSION\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e14 INSIGHTS FROM ANTHROPOLOGY AND A CONTEMPORARY CASE STUDY\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.1 THE “HOLY SEED” RATIONALE: A HEDGE\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.2 THE FOCUS OF PROTECTION\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.3 A CASE STUDY AND COMPARISON\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e14.4 CONCLUSION\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e15 CONCLUSION\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBIBLIOGRAPHY\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eINDEX OF BIBLICAL CITATIONS\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eINDEX OF AUTHORS AND SUBJECTS\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pennsylvania State University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53188738253143,"sku":"9781575067032","price":38.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/according-to-the-law-reading-ezra-9-10-as-christian-scripture-9781575067032","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}