In this book, Ari Mermelstein examines the mutually-reinforcing relationship between power and emotion in ancient Judaism. Ancient Jewish writers in both Palestine and the diaspora contended that Jewish identity entails not simply allegiance to God and performance of the commandments but also the acquisition of specific emotional norms. These rules regarding feeling were both shaped by and responses to networks of power - God, the foreign empire, and other groups of Jews - which threatened Jews' sense of agency. According to these writers, emotional communities that felt Jewish would succeed in neutralizing the power wielded over them by others and, depending on the circumstances, restore their power to acculturate, maintain their Jewish identity, and achieve redemption. An important contribution to the history of emotions, this book argues that power relations are the basis for historical changes in emotion discourse.

2021 National Jewish Book Award Finalist in Scholarship

‘This carefully argued volume marks a significant contribution to the study of emotion in biblical scholarship, stimulated by burgeoning emotion research across the humanities and sciences. Although writing for the academy, Mermelstein’s work is clear and convincing, supported by many quoted primary texts (with English translations) and suggestive of intriguing implications and applications for modern, tension-filled religious life.’

F. Scott Spencer Source: Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology