Abstract
In this monograph, C. compares two types of narrative, family death narratives and barrenness narratives, in ancient Near Eastern texts and texts from the Hebrew Bible. His intention is to show the different roles played by men and women in the household and wider society, depending on the issue faced. He chooses the texts to study based on their inclusion of key themes. For family death narratives, he looks for at least two of the following three criteria: as well as the death of family member(s), the deaths must be attributed to God, even if only implicitly, and the narrative must end with a restoration of the family. Similarly, for barrenness narratives, the three criteria, of which at least two must be present, are barrenness (through infertility), attribution to the divine, and an overcoming of barrenness. Overall, C. concludes that in family death narratives, both ancient Near Eastern and biblical, women turn to men for a solution, and in turn, those men may appeal to the divine. This is because men, as the head of the household, were responsible for arranging marriages and ensuring the continuation of the family line and household name. In contrast, women take a more central role in barrenness narratives, bypassing their male relations in favour of addressing the divine directly. This is because where infertility is present, it is only the divine who can reverse the situation. C.’s chapter on Ruth, exploring the changing roles of Ruth and Naomi through the biblical book was a particular highlight.