This striking new contribution to gender studies demonstrates the essential role of Israelite and Near East law in the historical analysis of gender. The theme of these studies of Babylonian, Hittite, Assyrian, and Israelite law is this: What is the significance of gender in the formulation of ancient law and custom? Feminist scholarship is enriched by these studies in family history and the status of women in antiquity. At the same time, conventional legal history is repositioned, as new and classical texts are interpreted from the vantage point of feminist theory and social history. Papers from SBL Biblical Law Section form the core of this collection.

Author Biography

Victor Matthews is Professor of Religious Studies at Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri. Tikva Frymer-Kensky was Professor of Hebrew Bible and Jewish Theology, University of Chicago. Bernard Levinson holds the Berman Family Chair of Jewish Studies and Hebrew Bible, Department of Classical and Near Eastern Studies, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.