Behind Ancient Bars

Narratives of Incarceration in the Hebrew Bible

Hadar Aviram (Autor)

Buch | Hardcover

224 Seiten

2026
University of California Press (Verlag)
978-0-520-42998-7 (ISBN)

Noch nicht erschienen (ca. Mai 2026)
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In Behind Ancient Bars, law professor and rabbinical student Hadar Aviram challenges the conventional assumption that incarceration is an artifact of modernity by looking back to depictions of detention and confinement in the Hebrew Bible. Aviram takes readers on a journey through the Hebrew Bible's carceral landscape through creative rereadings of five stories: Joseph in Egypt, Esther in Persia, Daniel in Babylonia, Samson in Gaza, and Jeremiah in Jerusalem. Drawing on her experience as a leading voice against mass incarceration, she finds connections between antiquity and the contemporary understanding of incarceration that encompasses not just the prison itself but also pretrial/immigration detention, bail, electronic monitoring, parole, and postrelease supervision. Infusing ancient biblical stories with fresh life through modern punishment theories, Aviram shows how incarceration has much to teach us about government, the experience of people in confinement, and the strength and resilience of the human spirit across millennia.

Hadar Aviram is Thomas E. Miller '73 Professor of Law at UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College.

List of Illustrations
Preface and Acknowledgments

Introduction
1. Setting and Dating the Biblical Carceral Conversation
2. Joseph in the Joint
3. Dark Esther
4. Daniel's Diet
5. Samson's Rage
6. Jeremiah in the Pit of Mire
7. Ancient Governmentality Through the Lens of Confinement
8. Carceral Transformation and the Crucible of Leadership
Conclusion: Rift and Continuity in Carceral Studies

Appendix: Chronology of Exegetic and Midrashic Sources
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Erscheint lt. Verlag	12.5.2026
Zusatzinfo	3 b-w figures, 3 tables
Verlagsort	Berkerley
Sprache	englisch
Maße	140 x 216 mm
Themenwelt	Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► Vor- und Frühgeschichte
	Recht / Steuern ► EU / Internationales Recht
	Recht / Steuern ► Strafrecht ► Kriminologie
	Recht / Steuern ► Strafrecht ► Strafverfahrensrecht
ISBN-10	0-520-42998-2 / 0520429982
ISBN-13	978-0-520-42998-7 / 9780520429987
Zustand	Neuware