Friederike Neumann: Jakob und die Völker, Gebunden

Blurb

By combining literary, historical and theological perspectives, Friederike Neumann presents a modern model for the composition of the Jacob story. She re-examines the narrative's formation and intention and conducts detailed literary analyses of its development. Starting from the originally independent Jacob-Esau and Jacob-Laban stories, which originated in the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, the author reconstructs their combination into a first comprehensive Jacob story. This early version was composed before the fall of Jerusalem, redactionelly revised, and, during the exilic period, linked with the stories of Abraham and Isaac. In the Persian period, the narrative was integrated into the emerging Pentateuch. For each of these layers, the author analyses the historical context, theological intention and political message. This reveals an ongoing process of self-reflection: from calls for subjugation through concepts of peaceful coexistence to criticism of intermarriage, the Jacob story documents a multifaceted discourse on Israel's relationship with neighbouring nations. This comprehensive and previously lacking reconstruction demonstrates that "Jacob and the nations" forms the defining theme of the narrative from its beginnings to its present form.