brandonhurlbert.bsky.social
Lecturer in Hebrew Bible/Old Testament at Durham University | Research associate for Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence | podcast w/ The Two Cities
122 posts
1,133 followers
486 following
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Somehow I don’t think @foxnews.com.web.brid.gy will criticise them for flying a foreign flag
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Solidarity! It’s brutal out there
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Thanks for this. Do you think that people who are calling these things Blood libels are being sincere? Weaponising charges of antisemitism? Somewhere in between?
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Amazing news! really excited they appointed you
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I honestly don’t know if this is for real or if you are kidding on your last name !
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That is so helpful. Could you share some links or point me in the right direction?
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You might not see this as you’ve muted me but I wholeheartedly agree! In fact, I’ve spent the majority of my scholarly career arguing for this exact point, not just in Esther but other texts that depict violence.
I don’t know how I can make it clearer than “Judaism does not celebrate violence”
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Just sent it!
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Again, happy to send you my chapter on this if you want.
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I should say that only some parts of the violence in Esther can be considered self-defence.
Other examples (hanging 10 sons, 2nd day of fighting, non-combatants among the dead) are much more ethically dubious. This isn’t a criticism, but a feature of the text that allows for deeper reflection.
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Help me understand then. The opposite of what I just said would be “Judaism celebrates the violence of Esther and views such violence as normative today.”
To me that echoes of antisemitic, Christian readings that saw all Jews as “blood-thirsty”— a point I vehemently disagree with!
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Yes, that’s what I said. Let me clarify: The tradition does not celebrate the violence but relativises its importance for the ongoing life of faith.
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Again, I simply did not say this, and do not believe this.
My reading is based on the language of the text. And while it may not be mainstream, I’m not the only one who’s noticed this.
www.myjewishlearning.com/article/a-vi...
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While all interpretation involves a little retconning, I actually wrote about this in 2021 for the @csbibleviolence.bsky.social well before I knew anything at all about Israel/Palestine. Happy to send a long a copy of the chapter if you dm me. Thanks for your time and for engaging all the best.
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I think this actually comports well with Jewish tradition/Purim which, as I see it, relativises the violence through carnival—which much better than the deeply antisemitic reads from Christians through the centuries.
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weaponises sacred texts and very legitimate concerns (antisemitism) against ideological enemies who are rightfully concerned for the Palestinian people. That HF desires to wield state power to do this is precisely what I think Esther is warning against when read theologically.
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With respect, I must say absolutely not. This is a profound misunderstanding of the post which neither mentioned the modern state of Israel nor criticised the story of Esther for its depictions of violence. What I did critique was an antisemitic, white Xtian nationalist org that…
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Same here! I was trying to find some data to support this choice, but I couldn’t find anything. Hoping someone on here can help
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Habakkuk 1:5! Knew of a student ministry that had this as their name/theme verse
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That sounds like a very fitting purgatory.
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Now Helen Paynter, director of @csbibleviolence.bsky.social closing out the conference by reflecting on how we can build healthy and safe church cultures. #csbvconf25
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Now Aaron Hann speaking on Pastoral care within the gospel of John #csbvconf25
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Final day of “Preying on the Sheep”!
First up is Ashley Hibbard, the operations director for @csbibleviolence.bsky.social speaking about a theological framework for holding on to faith.
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Graeme Shanks just finished speaking on the Samaritan Woman and now listening to Tim Welch use 2 Corinthians to discuss how we can develop healthy Christian ministry. #CSBVconf25
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Second day of the Preying on the Sheep conference with @csbibleviolence.bsky.social
Now hearing Trevor Laurence talk (preach!) about the image of shepherding in the Bible and how it connects to pastoral calling. #csbvconf25
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Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys speaking on “examining and strengthening cultures to prevent harm” #csbvconf25
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Now Rachel Stone and Lee Johnson speaking about the impact of ministerial abuse on churches and communities.