Power and Emotion in Ancient Judaism

Abstract

100), observes that the term "martyrdom" is absent from this text, yet "[w]e have before us the essential attributes of the Jewish martyr." However, scholars point especially to 4 Macc 16:16 as containing language that anticipates the familiar terminology of the later martyrdom literature: "Having been summoned here for the sake of bringing forward the nation's evidence (τῆς διαμαρτυρίας τοῦ ἔθνους), contend eagerly on behalf of the ancestral law." See also Angelo P. O'Hagan, "The Martyr in the Fourth Book of Maccabees,"

Between Belonging and Identity in Ancient Judaism: The Role of Emotion in the Production of Identity - Reviewed: Kinship, Law and Politics: An Anatomy of Belonging. By Joseph E. David. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020. Pp. 156. $110.00 (cloth); $88.00 (digital). ISBN: 9781108499682.

“…relations that are not meaningful or even known to anyone … while the concept of identity is informative with regard to the meaning that is connoted by or associated with these relations" (13). These definitions suggest that belonging does not play a meaningful role in social life or in the construction of the self; belonging is "excluded from social situation and social interaction" (14). Relations of belonging, such as blood type or skin color (13)(14), are "consciousness-independent" (14) and "objective" (13).…”

“…These definitions suggest that belonging does not play a meaningful role in social life or in the construction of the self; belonging is "excluded from social situation and social interaction" (14). Relations of belonging, such as blood type or skin color (13)(14), are "consciousness-independent" (14) and "objective" (13). Identity, by contrast, results when a relationship of belonging is endowed with meaning (13) and becomes the object of "personal perception and social recognition" (14).…”

“…Relations of belonging, such as blood type or skin color (13)(14), are "consciousness-independent" (14) and "objective" (13). Identity, by contrast, results when a relationship of belonging is endowed with meaning (13) and becomes the object of "personal perception and social recognition" (14). Belonging is a private matter, while identity "is an inherently social phenomenon" (15).…”

“…Belonging may refer to an "objective relation," but, David argues, that does not exclude the role of society in defining the contours of those relations (14). "Kinship" may be an objective form of belonging, but, David shows, what constitutes kinship is subject to historical change (chapters 1-2).…”

“…This line of inquiry emphasizes both the performative and scripted nature of emotion; 12 the critical role that emotions play in social and political movements; 13 and the impact of power and power relations on emotion. 14 For these reasons, emotions are implicated in discussions about inclusion or exclusion that are generally associated with identity politics. 15 In contrast to David's definition, then, I argue that "belonging" is an emotional commitment that is not private or internal and whose emotional performance or display plays a critical role in both producing and reinforcing identity.…”