this issue
previous article in this issuenext article in this issue

Document Details :

Title: Canonicity and Gender Roles
Subtitle: Tobit and Judith as Test Cases
Author(s): MILLER, Geoffrey D.
Journal: Biblica
Volume: 97    Issue: 2   Date: 2016   
Pages: 199-221
DOI: 10.2143/BIB.97.2.3183482

Abstract :
Clues from rabbinic literature suggest that several factors were at play in establishing the early Jewish canon, including the dating, theology, and language of disputed texts. Another vital yet overlooked criterion is adherence to patriarchy, and a careful analysis of the Books of Judith and Tobit illustrates how these texts failed to meet rabbinic standards for gender roles. Most notably, the counter-cultural figures of Judith and Anna would have scandalized the rabbis by their encroachment on traditionally male spheres of activity, their freedom of movement inside and outside the home, and their ability to chastise male characters without repercussions.


Download article