Is anonymity a form of violence? The woman of Judges 19 endured gang-rape and dismemberment, and neither the Bible nor its ancient exegetes gave her a name. This article surveys the modern writers and scholars who chose new names for her, examining how their choices of names reflected their broader goals for retelling her story. From there, I turn…[Read more]

Editorial preface

1 Samuel 28:14 describes the appearance of the ghost of Samuel, who, upon King Saul’s request, was raised by a medium. We identify four key elements of the ghost’s visage, all of which relate to the living Samuel or King Saul, or their relationship, and all critique King Saul and foreshadow the loss of the kingship and his demise. The four ele…[Read more]

Response to Angela Standhartinger, Female Officiants

This article considers the range of meanings of “Torah” in first century Jewish writings from Philo, Josephus, Paul, and texts including 4 Ezra and 2 Baruch. I argue that the use of “Torah” is variegated and ranges even in writings from the same author, and therefore scholars should not assume that “Torah” or its various synonyms can mean only one thing.