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The hidden body as literary strategy in 4QWiles of the Wicked Woman (4Q184)

Abstract:
The short sapiential poem known as 4QWiles of the Wicked Woman (4Q184) describes the body of an unnamed female who ensnares the righteous into sin and ultimately death. This poetic description of a body has sometimes been compared to the Waṣf, a type of poem which provides a thick description of the body, listing and describing body parts in a movement descending from head to toe. In this essay, I explore the description of the woman’s body in 4Q184 in light of the genre of the Waṣf. By playing with the characteristic structure of the Waṣf, 4Q184 highlights certain aspects of the woman’s body in order to say something specific about her role and activities. In so doing, I uncover an image of the woman which is more erotic than commentators have previously allowed.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Publisher copy:
10.1163/15685179-02702003

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Institution:
University of Oxford
Department:
Theology and Religion
Oxford college:
Worcester College
Role:
Author


Publisher:
Brill Academic Publishers
Journal:
Dead Sea Discoveries More from this journal
Volume:
27
Issue:
2
Pages:
234–256
Publication date:
2020-06-19
Acceptance date:
2019-11-06
DOI:
EISSN:
1568-5179
ISSN:
0929-0761


Keywords:
Pubs id:
pubs:1070243
UUID:
uuid:2c3beab3-3eb2-48c4-bdb4-e995dd81285d
Local pid:
pubs:1070243
Source identifiers:
1070243
Deposit date:
2019-11-06

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