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Re-interpreting Miriam in the wilderness (Num. 12:1-15)

Kim Min Jung 1

1성공회대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The Old Testament’s descriptions of Miriam are fragmentary and even conflicting with each other. This makes it difficult to figure out her leadership style and heritage. Her name, however, presented at every critical moment, shows strong impressions and traces of sustained tradition, even amid the sparse information on the female leaders of ancient Israel. This study attempted a reinterpretation of the text of ‘Miriam in the wilderness’(Num. 12:1-15), which describes her negatively and overbearing. The previous feminist studies identified this issue as one of women’s sufferings in the patriarchal society and recognized it as a sacrifice for strengthening the leadership of Moses. Based on this, I began my research by questioning the social dynamics behind that. Because the description of female leaders and the way of accepting their traditions are not just a matter of gender but related to the power structure of society at the time of literary editing. In order to deal with this subject, I analyzed the text through historical criticism, did a sociological review of it, and attempted a feminist theological interpretation. In particular, I examined the historical background by dividing the document layers of the major texts that mentions Miriam, and discussed how the leadership of Miriam was edited and handed down under the relationship of power in each period. Numbers 12 is a complex editorial text which deals with social situations of leadership conflicts and the rise of arbitrary prophecy problems. Miriam was portrayed here as being punished and exiled under the circumstances of suppressing all resistance in order to strengthen power. And her story became a guarded epic, emphasizing punishment for power challenges. This led to the decline process of the liberation tradition. But Miriam is the leader of the liberation of the Exodus and remains as a bearer of liberation tradition. This study presented a new perspective on the interpretation of Numbers 12 and revealed the leadership of a veiled and distorted female leader.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

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