Surviving Lamentations

Surviving Lamentations
Author: Tod Linafelt
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 206
Release: 2000-07
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9780226481906

Most contemporary interpretations of the biblical book of Lamentations focus on the figure of the "suffering man" as a role model for submission in the face of God's punishment for sin. Yet such a model offers small consolation to survivors of the Holocaust or other mass atrocities and also ignores chapters 1 and 2 of Lamentations, in which the personification of Zion laments her sufferings and demands a response on behalf of her dying children. In Surviving Lamentations, Tod Linafelt offers an alternative reading of Lamentations in light of the "literature of survival" (works written by survivors of catastrophe) as well as literary and philosophical reflections on "the survival of literature." He refocuses attention on the figure of Zion as a manifestation of a basic need to give voice to suffering, and traces the afterlife of Lamentations in Jewish literature, in which text after text attempts to provide the response to Zion's lament that is lacking in Lamentations itself. Seen through Linafelt's eyes, Lamentations emerges as uncannily relevant to contemporary discourse on survival.

Forgotten and Forsaken by God (Lamentations 5:19-20)

Forgotten and Forsaken by God (Lamentations 5:19-20)
Author: Lina Rong
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2013-06-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 162032590X

This study takes Lamentations as an integrated unity of form and content and considers the mini-acrostic in Lam 5:19-20 as crucial for the interpretation of the whole book. It applies a holistic approach and a dialogic interpretation to the book of Lamentations. Examining first the extent to which an intrinsic connection exists between the acrostic structure and the content of the book, Rong reads Lamentations as a whole from the angle of the mini-acrostic in Lam 5:19-20. She explores whether and how this mini-acrostic underlines the main themes running through the book. Moreover, Rong explores the dialogic interaction among the voices within Lamentations and between Lamentations and other related communal laments in the Hebrew Bible on the subjects of mood change and the admission of guilt. Finally, this book examines the significance of Lamentations for contemporary suffering--individuals and communities.

The Rabbinic Targum of Lamentations

The Rabbinic Targum of Lamentations
Author: Christian M.M. Brady
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 197
Release: 2021-10-25
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 900449670X

This volume is a study of how Targum Lamentations (TgLam) interpreted and responded to the theologically challenging message of the Book of Lamentations. Through various exegetical techniques the targumist has transformed Lamentations into a rabbinic program for the synagogue. The first section examines how the targumist demonstrated that Israel herself is responsible for the destruction of Jerusalem and thus absolves God of all culpability. Yet the targumist continues to assert that God is the ultimate source of all history. The second section examines how the targumist depicts God as orchestrating events through his action and abstention. Finally, the targum argues that reconciliation with God can only come about through repentance and rabbinic worship. A new translation and a transcription of TgLam from Codex Urbinas Hebr. 1 is included.

Lamentations in Ancient and Contemporary Cultural Contexts

Lamentations in Ancient and Contemporary Cultural Contexts
Author: Nancy C. Lee
Publisher: Society of Biblical Lit
Total Pages: 287
Release: 2008
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1589833570

Personal tragedy and communal catastrophe up to the present day are universal human experiences that call forth lament. Lament singers--from the most ancient civilizations to traditional oral poets to the biblical psalmists and poets of Lamentations to popular singers across the globe--have always raised the cry of human suffering, giving voice to the voiceless, illuminating injustice, or pleading for divine help. This volume gathers an international collection of essays on biblical lament and Lamentations, illuminating their genres, artistry, purposes, and significant place in the history and theologies of ancient Israel. It also explores lament across cultures, both those influenced by biblical traditions and those not, as the practices of composition, performance, and interpretation of life's suffering continue to shed light on our knowledge of biblical lament. --From publisher's description.

The Book of Lamentations

The Book of Lamentations
Author: John Goldingay
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 207
Release: 2022-02-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 146746404X

The book of Lamentations is one of the most vivid representations of grief and trauma in the Hebrew Bible. Written in the wake of the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian Empire, it is comprised of five poems of twenty-two stanzas each, in a manner of tight formal unity unparalleled by any other work in the Scriptures. In this volume, widely respected Old Testament scholar John Goldingay analyzes these and other aspects of Lamentations while keeping a constant eye on the book’s meaning and use as Christian Scripture. After a thorough introduction that explores matters of background, composition, and theology, Goldingay provides an original translation of the book from the Masoretic text along with verse-by-verse commentary.

Lament-Driven Preaching

Lament-Driven Preaching
Author: Eliana Ah-Rum Ku
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 233
Release: 2024-03-04
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1666774332

This book challenges Christian communities to engage in lament--a mode of existence characterized by impassioned expression, witnessing, and personal or social protest in the face of evil and injustice, reflecting a profound yearning for God's saving presence. Divine lament responds to, and expresses solidarity with, human suffering, unveiling multiple facets of God's image and demonstrating a profound sense of divine compassion. Drawing on the Book of Lamentations, Korean concepts related to suffering (han and hanpuri), the Paschal Triduum narratives, and recent homiletic discourses on suffering, the author investigates how complex issues related to grief and hope can be addressed in preaching without diminishing the harsh reality of affliction. Designed to assist preachers, this book encourages a more intentional approach to addressing suffering, specifically by advocating for lament as a transitional space between affliction and hope. Furthermore, readers are invited to contemplate the significance of the church, which, within a world in decline, embodies the body of Christ, manifesting both the demise and resurrection of God.

Song of Songs and Lamentations, Volume 23B

Song of Songs and Lamentations, Volume 23B
Author: Duane Garrett
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
Total Pages: 494
Release: 2018-04-24
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310588510

The Word Biblical Commentary delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars of our day who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. This series emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology. These widely acclaimed commentaries serve as exceptional resources for the professional theologian and instructor, the seminary or university student, the working minister, and everyone concerned with building theological understanding from a solid base of biblical scholarship. Overview of Commentary Organization Introduction—covers issues pertaining to the whole book, including context, date, authorship, composition, interpretive issues, purpose, and theology. Each section of the commentary includes: Pericope Bibliography—a helpful resource containing the most important works that pertain to each particular pericope. Translation—the author’s own translation of the biblical text, reflecting the end result of exegesis and attending to Hebrew and Greek idiomatic usage of words, phrases, and tenses, yet in reasonably good English. Notes—the author’s notes to the translation that address any textual variants, grammatical forms, syntactical constructions, basic meanings of words, and problems of translation. Form/Structure/Setting—a discussion of redaction, genre, sources, and tradition as they concern the origin of the pericope, its canonical form, and its relation to the biblical and extra-biblical contexts in order to illuminate the structure and character of the pericope. Rhetorical or compositional features important to understanding the passage are also introduced here. Comment—verse-by-verse interpretation of the text and dialogue with other interpreters, engaging with current opinion and scholarly research. Explanation—brings together all the results of the discussion in previous sections to expose the meaning and intention of the text at several levels: (1) within the context of the book itself; (2) its meaning in the OT or NT; (3) its place in the entire canon; (4) theological relevance to broader OT or NT issues. General Bibliography—occurring at the end of each volume, this extensive bibliographycontains all sources used anywhere in the commentary.

Lamentations

Lamentations
Author: Jill Middlemas
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 145
Release: 2020-12-10
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0567696936

In this guide, Jill Middlemas introduces students to the Book of Lamentations by examining the book's structure and characteristics, covering the latest in biblical scholarship on Lamentations, including historical and interpretive issues, and considering a range of scholarly approaches. In particular, the guide provides students with an introduction to Hebrew poetry as it relates to Lamentations and includes insights from the field of trauma and postcolonial studies. With suggestions of further reading at the end of each chapter, this guide will be an useful accompaniment to study of Lamentations.

Lamentations

Lamentations
Author: Gina Hens-Piazza
Publisher: Liturgical Press
Total Pages: 168
Release: 2017
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0814681549

Feminist biblical interpretation has reached a level of maturity that now makes possible a commentary series on every book of the Bible. It is our hope that Wisdom Commentary, by making the best of current feminist biblical scholarship available in an accessible format ... will aid readers in their advancement toward God's vision of dignity, equality, and justice for all. - Book jacket.

Lamentations (THOTC)

Lamentations (THOTC)
Author: Robin A. Parry
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2010-09-03
Genre: Bibles
ISBN: 0802827144

In this volume Robin Parry not only builds on traditional scholarship to interpret the book of Lamentations within its ancient context but also ventures further, exploring how the book can function as Christian Scripture. Parry provides the first systematic attempt to read Lamentations in light of the cross and resurrection. --from publisher description