Research Karolien Vermeulen

Abstract

The Hebrew Bible, among its other functions, relates the journey of a people looking for a home. In biblical studies this concept of home is inseparable from the notion of exile. Previous scholarship has extensively researched the exilic experience, relying on socio-historical frameworks as well as literary and postmodern theory. In the majority of these studies, home is generally represented by its absence; it is considered a social category evoked by the text but ultimately existing outside of it. Building upon these insights, the current project takes a different starting point: it considers the actual home space, rather than the lack thereof. It also proposes a different approach, i.e. Text World Theory, focusing on the textual-conceptual home generated by the biblical text rather than on text-external reality. By means of a cognitive-stylistic analysis the study aims to gain insight into the biblical home space both in non-exilic and in exilic situations. Three specific aims steer the project: i) to determine the linguistic-literary characteristics of the textual home in the Hebrew Bible; ii) to analyze the modifications to this notion of home in relation to changing physical circumstances; and iii) to shed light on the role of cities in establishing a home in the text. Contributions will be twofold: i) the project offers insight into 'textual homes' and 'texts as homes' in the Hebrew Bible; and ii) it develops a Text World Theory framework tailored to the biblical text.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Liska Vivian
• Fellow: Vermeulen Karolien

Research team(s)

• Institute of Jewish Studies

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Previous studies, especially critical-spatial analyses, have drawn attention to the construction of space in the Hebrew Bible. They have shown that space is more than its material and static appearance, but as much a functional construct. The current project aims to gain insight into a particular aspect of a particular type of ancient space: the stylistic construction of the city of the enemy in the Hebrew Bible. Biblical passages discussing Babel and Nineveh, selected as prototypical enemies, will form the focus of a cognitive-stylistic analysis. The project has three specific goals: i) to analyze how language contributes to the concept of space, here the urban space of the enemy; ii) to determine whether there are systematically recurring lexical and/or stylistic patterns within this concept; iii) to analyze the relationship between the space of the enemy and the friendly space of Jerusalem. The contribution of the project is threefold: i) it offers insight into the ancient concept of the city of the enemy in the Hebrew Bible; ii) it enhances the understanding of the linguistic construction of this space and fills a methodological gap; iii) it offers a new way of researching the Hebrew Bible, relying on the style of its textual material.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Liska Vivian
• Fellow: Vermeulen Karolien

Research team(s)

• Institute of Jewish Studies

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Liska Vivian
• Fellow: Vermeulen Karolien

Research team(s)

• Institute of Jewish Studies

Project type(s)

• Research Project