MF CASR Lunch with Esther Brownsmith

"Boiled Bread and Steamy Metaphors in a Biblical Rape Narrative"

2 Samuel 13 contains one of the most detailed rape scenes in the Bible. It also contains one of the most detailed food preparation scenes in the Bible. These two statements may sound discordant, even irrelevant to each other—but a closer look reveals that their juxtaposition is no coincidence.  My investigation into this text showed that, contrary to most biblical translations, it describes the preparation of boiled bread rolls, and that the process of boiling draws on the powerful cross-cultural metaphor of heat as lust.  The cooking process therefore becomes a twisted foreshadowing of the rape that will follow, revealing both the agency of the princess Tamar and the lustful perspective of her rapist.  At this session, I will share tastes of my own recipe for the bread that Tamar makes, and discuss the ambiguities of a Bible story that describes but does not condone sexual assault.

Please join us in person at the MF Library, or watch on Zoom: https://mf-no.zoom.us/j/64105595003?pwd=S0JpdTIyT1dBcjRwTjg2YzVxdmVRQT09

Zoom Meeting ID: 641 0559 5003

Passcode: MFCASR