About this Book

Substantial insights into various identity discourses reflected in the biblical prayers

This collection of essays from an international group of scholars focuses on how biblical prayers of the Persian and early Hellenistic periods shaped identity, evoked a sense of belonging to specific groups, and added emotional significance to this affiliation. Contributors draw examples from different biblical texts, including Genesis, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, Psalms, Jonah, and Daniel.

Features

• Thorough study of prayers that play a key role for a biblical book’s (re)construction of the people’s history and identity
• An examination of ways biblical figures are remodeled by their prayers by introducing other, sometimes even contradictory, discourses on identity
• An exploration of different ways in which psalms from postexilic times shaped, reflected, and modified identity discourses