Geoffrey D. Miller, «Canonicity and Gender Roles: Tobit and Judith as Test Cases», Vol. 97 (2016) 199-221
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 countercultural 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.
CANoNICITY ANd GeNder roLeS 221
rabbis’ agenda perfectly. Sirach vilifies women as a source of shame,
disgrace, and death (Sir 25,24; 42,13-14), and it restricts the freedom
of daughters and wives in numerous passages (e.g. Sir 7,24-25; 9,2-9;
22,3-4; 25,13-26; 26,1-18; 36,28; 42,11-12). Its concluding section on
the “Praise of the Ancestors” lists only men, despite several women
who merit acclaim (e.g. deborah).
Attention to gender and the patriarchal thrust (or lack thereof) of
disputed texts should open up new possibilities in biblical research, es-
pecially on the question of canonicity. The books of 1-2 Maccabees are
clearly male-oriented, with the men of the Maccabean family directing
all the action, but the heroic mother of 2 Maccabees 7 could have been
a stumbling block for the rabbis. She displays great theological erudi-
tion in her confrontation with the Seleucid tormentors, and readers of
her story might infer that women have the mettle, wisdom, and strength
of character to play greater roles in society than docile housewives.
A closer look at these and other texts will hopefully uncover greater in-
sight into why the rabbis chose the books they did, especially since
they offer little rationale in the Talmud and related literature. Gender
seems to be a key reason in the cases of Judith and Tobit, and it proba-
bly influenced their decisions on other texts as well.
Saint Louis university Geoffrey d. MILLer
1 North Grand
Saint Louis, Mo 63103 (uSA)
Summary
Clues from rabbinic literature suggest that several factors were at play in estab-
lishing 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 move-
ment inside and outside the home, and their ability to chastise male characters
without repercussions.