To remedy a scholarly lacuna on the study of adoption in the Hebrew Bible, chapters in this volume examine this topic from a variety of perspectives, including trauma, transfers of children, motives for adoption, the performance of parenthood, and studies of metaphor and practice. Divided into three sections, part one highlights the absence of specific adoption terminology and demonstrates the need for deeper considerations of methodological approaches and the categories we—as modern readers—bring to the texts. Part two considers the practices and language that we do see around ancient adoptions, and focuses on the actions and implications of transferring children or parentage. Finally, part three focuses on divine adoption and metaphors and motifs that speak to the dual themes of loss and gain that are entwined in adoption.
As a whole, Adoption in the Hebrew Bible highlights the prevalence of adoptive practices and draws attention to the fluidity underlying constructions of ‘family’ in the Hebrew Bible and also the wider ancient Near East. The theme of adoption centres both parents and children, thereby complicating scholarly constructions of families in ancient societies and reminding readers of the fragility, strength, and importance of belonging in a family.
Introduction: The Place of Adoption in Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Research, Ekaterina Kozlova (London School of Theology, UK) and Cat Quine (University of Nottingham, UK) Part One: Unspoken Adoption 1. Absence of Adoption in the Hebrew Bible? Childist and Social Scientific Insights in Response to a Textual Conundrum, Julie Faith Parker (General Theological Seminary, USA) 2. ‘He Remained with her for Six Years’ (2 Kings 11:3): Assassination and (Non-)Adoption in the Case of King Joash, Cat Quine (University of Nottingham, UK) Part Two: Adopting Children: Practices and Metaphors 3. ‘I Will Be Built Up Through Her’: Surrogacy and Adoption in The Hebrew Bible, Janice De-Whyte (Loma Linda University, USA) 4. Centering the Child: The Adoption Metaphor in Nathan’s Parable (2 Samuel 12:1-4), Yael Landman (Brooklyn College, USA) 5. Claiming the Unclaimed: The Role of Feet in Adoption and Levirate Marriage, Kristine Henriksen Garroway (Hebrew Union College, Israel) 6. Hassadah, Orphan Turned Adoptee (Esther 2:5-15): Reflections from African South Africa, Madipoane Masenya (University of South Africa, South Africa) Part Three: Divine Adoption Metaphors and Motifs 7. ‘Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child’: Considering the Metaphor of Divine Adoption in the Context of Trauma’, L. Juliana Claassens (Stellenbosch University, South Africa) 8. ‘You are My Child’: Royal and Domestic Adoption Motifs in Exodus and the Ancient Near East, Shawn Flynn (St. Joseph’s College, University of Alberta, Canada) 9. ‘I Have Made an Engraving of You…’ (Isaiah 49:16): An Echo of an Ancient Near Eastern Adoption Practice in Deutero-Isaiah?, Ekaterina Kozlova (London School of Theology, UK) 10. Coming Home to Zion: Yahweh’s Adoption and Restoration of the Nations, Kevin Burrell (Burman University, Canada) Bibliography Index
Ekaterina Kozlova is Old Testament Lecturer at the London School of Theology, UK. Cat Quine is Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible at the University of Nottingham, UK.
