Difference between revisions of "Book of Ruth" - New World Encyclopedia

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: ''This is about the ancient Hebrew religious text. For the 20th-century English-language novel, see ''[[The Book of Ruth (novel)]] ''.
 
: ''This is about the ancient Hebrew religious text. For the 20th-century English-language novel, see ''[[The Book of Ruth (novel)]] ''.
 
{{Books of the Old Testament}}  
 
{{Books of the Old Testament}}  

Revision as of 04:05, 2 March 2007

This is about the ancient Hebrew religious text. For the 20th-century English-language novel, see The Book of Ruth (novel) .
Books of the

Hebrew Bible

Tanakh
Torah | Nevi'im | Ketuvim
Books of Ketuvim
Three Poetic Books
1. Psalms
2. Proverbs
3. Job
Five Megillot
4. Song of Songs
5. Ruth
6. Lamentations
7. Ecclesiastes
8. Esther
Other Books
9. Daniel
10. Ezra-Nehemiah
11. Chronicles
Naomi entreating Ruth and Orpah to return to the land of Moab by William Blake, 1795
Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld: Ruth in Boaz's Field, 1828

The Book of Ruth (Hebrew: מגילת רות, Megilat Rut, "the Scroll of Ruth") is one of the books of the Ketuvim ("Writings") of the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible) and of the Writings of the Old Testament (the first half of the Bible). It is one of the shortest books in both Jewish and Christian scripture, consisting of only 4 chapters.

Author

Many of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible books do not identify the author and the Book of Ruth is no different; however there is a tradition that alludes to a possibility. The Talmud refers to Samuel as the author, but scholars do not accept this tradition. Samuel died before David became king, and the way in which the author writes the genealogy in Ruth 4:18-22 supposes that the lineage is well known. Even the reference in Ruth 1:1 to the “days when the judges ruled…” indicates that the era had ended and that the audience was somewhat removed from the time. Furthermore, Ruth 4:7 states that the legal custom of taking off a shoe to seal the agreement is no longer in use. Only a generation exists between Samuel and Boaz; therefore, it is unlikely that the time span would require this explanation. Interestingly, some scholars suggest that the author is a woman. Two observations point in the direction of a woman author. First, the story centers on the life journey of two women in desperate straits in a male-dominated society, and appears to be from the viewpoint of a woman. Second, Naomi and Ruth’s ingenuity and assertiveness propels the story line. However, the possibility of a female author is only conjecture, unsupported by any non-circumstantial evidence.

Date

The Book of Ruth, according to many scholars, was originally part of the Book of Judges, but it was later separated from that book and made independent. The opening verses explicitly place the Book of Ruth in the time of the Judges and it concludes with the Davidic lineage. Therefore, one would suppose that the author wrote the story after the time of King David. Exactly how long after the reign of David is the question. One possibility is around 900 B.C.E., shortly after David's reign. Scholars who choose this date link it to the importance of David’s lineage recorded at the end of Ruth. In Ruth 4:12 the author states that Ruth and Boaz’ child is named Obed and that Obed “…became the father of Jesse, the father of David.” The final verses trace the family line. On the other hand, the message of the book shows acceptance of the Israelites marrying converts to Judaism and this has been used to suggest that the book was written during the early days of the Persian period, perhaps around 500 B.C.E., which was during the postexilic period. Ezra (10:2ff) and Nehemiah (13:23ff) record the problem that arose from the Israelites marrying foreign women. Instead of the wives converting to Judaism the Israelites began to follow their wives' gods. As a result, God’s people fell out of relationship with God. For this reason, Ezra condemned intermarriages and forced the Israelites to abandon their non-Jewish wives. According to this theory, the book was written in response to Ezra's reform and in defense of a marriage to a foreign wife when the wife converts to Judaism. Acceptance of marriages to foreigners who convert to Judaism is further enforced by making the connection to the Davidic line as David is commonly seen as Israel's greatest king. Scholars who prefer the 500 B.C.E. date do so in reference to this dilemma. They contend that Ruth demonstrates that a marriage to a foreigner may be acceptable to God when the foreigner follows God. In addition, the later date of 500 B.C.E. is preferred when explaining the use of language in Ruth; however, scholars also realize that the linguistic style of the book could reflect the work of editors following the 900 B.C.E. date. Essentially, the dating of Ruth is ambiguous and scholars cannot date the book of Ruth with any degree of certainty.

Plot

The book of Ruth is about an ordinary family who found themselves in extraordinary circumstances. Elimelech moves his two sons and wife Naomi from Bethlehem, Judah to Moab during a time of famine. Their two sons marry Moabite women Orpah and Ruth (Ruth רוּת means "Compassion", Standard Hebrew Rut, Tiberian Hebrew Rûṯ). Over a period of ten years, the men of the family die, leaving their three widows. Naomi resolves to return to her homeland and urges her two daughters-in-law to return to their Moabite families. Orpah listens to Naomi’s urgings, but Ruth pledges her undying devotion to her mother-in-law (Ruth 1:16-17). Naomi and Ruth return to Bethlehem during the time of the barley harvest. In order to provide food for the two women, Ruth receives permission to glean in the fields of Boaz, Naomi’s kinsman. Naomi sends Ruth to ask protection from Boaz, who is a close relative. Boaz is attracted to Ruth, but informs her that there is a closer kinsman who has the first right to redeem the estate of Elimelech. It is necessary for the closer kinsman to renounce his right before Boaz can proceed in the matter. Accordingly, Boaz meets with the closer kinsman and tells the kinsman of his right to redeem the estate and to marry Ruth. The kinsman does not want to marry Ruth, nor would he want to yield Elimelech's property back to a child born from the union. The closer kinsman takes off his shoe and hands it to Boaz which was the ritual way of showing that he waived his right to Elimelech’s property. Boaz follows through on a plan to grant security (redemption) to the two women. Boaz marries Ruth and their child, Obed, is “born to Naomi” (Ruth 4:17) which indicates that Elimelech’s line is continued and Naomi is blessed by Obed’s birth. The genealogy that concludes the book of Ruth climaxes with the wonderful disclosure that Ruth of Moab is the great-grandmother of King David.

Is there more to the story?

Scholars essentially agree that Ruth is a narrative story and they use terms like 'novella' to describe it. The plot of a novella is more central than historical data; however, that is not to say this style of writing ignores historical facts or for that matter theological precepts. This style of writing reflects the craftmanship of the writer. The mood of the story is fashioned from the start through the meanings hidden in the names of the participants. Elimelech means ‘my God is king’ foreshadowing the continuance of his line to David the king who is God’s anointed one on earth. Naomi means ‘my gracious/pleasant one’ who later asks to be called Mara, ‘bitter one.’ Naomi’s name change elicits the emotions that she is experiencing and the direction of the story. Even the names of the two sons, Mahlon meaning ‘sick’ and Chilion meaning ‘weakening/pining,’ alerts the reader to their physical conditions. The two daughters-in-law names, Orpah (meaning nape or back of the neck) turns her back on Naomi and returns to her people; Ruth (meaning friend) pledges her loyalty to Naomi. Boaz’ (‘strength is (in) him’ or ‘he comes in strength’) becomes the kinsman redeemer and Obed’s name appropriately means ‘servant.’ Obed is the ancestor of King David and Israel’s kings are servants of Yahweh. The use of names in the Book of Ruth deepens the story’s flavor and assists the reader in appreciating the text’s meaning.

Themes

Two major theological themes are redemption (the verb redeem means to ‘buy back’ or ‘redeem’ but fundamentally its meaning is ‘to protect’) and hesed (loving kindness). Redemption was both a rich social and religious concept in Israel’s daily life. Socially the Israelites were aware of their responsibility to one another to protect the weak and unprotected. Redemption secures the life of the people as a community, not just as individuals. Boaz and Ruth’s marriage is a “levirate marriage.” Redemption [1][2]is a feature of “levirate marriage” and it is a duty taught in Deuteronomy (25:5-10). This custom required a close relative to marry the widow of the deceased (the kinsman) in order to continue his family line. Interestingly, Ruth is not Elimelech’s widow and Boaz is not his brother. Therefore, the authors LaSor/Hubbard/Bush, refer to Boaz’ duty as “levirate-like” or as a "kinsman-marriage". Moreover, the Israelites understanding of redemption included both that of people and of land. In Israel land had to stay in the family. The family could mortgage the land to ward off poverty; and, the law of Leviticus 25:25ff required a kinsman to purchase it back into the family. The kinsman, whom Boaz meets at the city gate, first says he will purchase the land but upon hearing he must also take Ruth as his wife he withdraws his offer. His decision was primarily a financial decision as a child born to Ruth through the union would inherit Elimelech’s land, and he would not be reimbursed for the money he paid Naomi. Boaz becomes Ruth and Naomi’s kinsman-redeemer. The Israelites understanding of redemption is woven into their understanding of Yahweh. God stands by the oppressed and needy. He extends his love and mercy offering a new freedom and hope. God has a deep concern for the welfare of his people, materially, emotionally and spiritually. The redemption theme extends beyond this biblical book through the genealogy. First, in Ruth 4:13 the reader learns that God made her conceive. Second, through the genealogy the reader learns that the son born to Naomi is more than just a gift from God to continue her lineage. We also see the history of God’s rule through the David line – connecting the book’s theme in to the Bible’s main theme of redemptive history. Along with the redemption theme – hesed – rises to the top as another important concept. Hesed sometimes translated as loving kindness also implies loyalty. The theme of hesed is woven throughout Ruth beginning at 1:8 with Naomi blessing her two daughters-in-law as she urges them to return to their Moabite families. She says, “May the Lord deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.” Both Ruth and Boaz demonstrate hesed to their family members throughout the story. These are not acts of kindness with an expectation of measure for measure. Rather, they are acts of hesed that go beyond measure and demonstrate that hesed can require a person to go beyond the requirements of the law and choose the unexpected. However, the importance of the law is evident within the book of Ruth and the story reflects a need to stay within its boundaries. Boaz in going beyond measure in acquiring the property (demonstrating hesed) redeeming not only the land but both Naomi and Ruth as well. The two widows now have a secure and protected future. Perhaps then the overall theme in Ruth, regardless of the dating, is about the real enactor, God. We learn of God’s actions, not a series of commendable human qualities. God is concerned for the ordinary family, faithful in the good times and the bad; He is also the Gentiles’ God; He accomplishes more than we could ever hope or imagine demonstrated through the hesed acts of ordinary people; and for the Christian — on this side of Calvary, ultimately God is the ‘kinsman-redeemer’ through His Son Jesus Christ.

Jewish and Christian Perspectives

In many ways, most of what Christians and Jews would draw from the text would be the same. The book of Ruth has a unique significance to Jews. In particular, Ruth is celebrated as a convert to Judaism who understood Jewish principles and took them to heart. This book is also dear to the hearts of Jews who are Jews-by-choice. For Christians the book has additional significance. The connection between Ruth and David is very important because Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, whose husband Joseph was of the lineage of David, thus making Ruth a fore-mother of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5). The line can be traced as:

Boaz father of Obed
Obed father of Jesse
Jesse father of David
David (eventual) father of Joseph
Joseph "father" of Jesus

Ruth's famous words, "For wherever you go, I will go ...," are used in Catholic and some Protestant marriage services, underscoring the similarity of marriage and religious conversion in their covenantal nature. Some have theorized that Ruth was in fact an Israelite who lived in Moab, not a foreigner without Israelite blood. This is based on linguistic and textual evidence. (See R. K. Phillips, Rahab and Ruth, Who Were They?.) Ruth is commemorated as a matriarch in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod on July 16.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Atkinson, David J. Message of Ruth (Bible Speaks Today). Repr. ed. InterVarsity Pr., 1985.
  • Baylis, Charles P. "Naomi in the book of Ruth in Light of the Mosaic Covenant". Bibliotheca Sacra 161, no. 644 (October-December 2004): 413-431.
  • Bos, Johanna. Ruth, Esther, Jonah. Paperback ed. Westminster John Knox Pr., 1986.
  • Brenner, Athalya, ed. Ruth and Esther: A Feminist Companion to the Bible. Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1999.
  • Buttrick, George Arthur and board, eds. The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, Vol. 4. Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 1962.
  • Carmody, Denise Lardner and John Tully Carmody. Corn & Ivy: Spiritual Reading in Ruth and Jonah. Valley Forge, Pennsylvania: Trinity Press International, 1995.
  • Coogan, et. al., eds. The New Oxford Annotated Bible, 3d. ed. NRSV. Oxford: University Press, 2001.
  • Hubbard, Robert L., Jr. The Book of Ruth. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988.
  • Korpel, Marjo C.A. The Structure of the Book of Ruth. The Netherlands: Royal Van Gorcum, 2001.
  • Larkin, Katrina J.A. Ruth and Esther. England: Sheffield Academic Press Ltd., 1996.
  • LaSor, William Sanford et al. Old Testament Survey: The Message, Form, and Background of the Old Testament, 2d. ed. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996.
  • Nielsen, Kirsten. Ruth: A Commentary. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1997.
  • Olson, Harriett Jane, ed. director. The New Interpreter’s Bible: Volume II, 2nd ed. Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 1998. 891-896.
  • Roop, Eugene F. Believers Church Bible Commentary. Scottdale, Pennsylvania: Herald Press, 2002.
  • Sakenfeld, Katharine Doob. Ruth. Louisville, Kentucky: John Knox Press, 1999.

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