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Books by Sara Kipfer

Extreme climate events and famines are among the most continuous problems that humans have had to... more Extreme climate events and famines are among the most continuous problems that humans have had to deal with throughout the ages. At the same time, they are closely intertwined with temporal, spatial and social conditions. Using methods of historical hunger research and the established concept of vulnerability, this study examines the texts of the Hebrew Bible to determine how people perceived, interpreted and coped with extreme climate events. In doing so, it becomes apparent that the texts never provide simple, monocausal explanations, but rely on a number of different, sometimes contradictory statements. God, humans and nature appear in this conception as actors who interact with each other and share equal responsibility for the catastrophe.

Extreme Klimaereignisse und Hungerkatastrophen zählen zu den kontinuierlichsten Problemen, mit denen sich Menschen durch alle Zeiten hindurch auseinandersetzen mussten. Gleichzeitig sind sie eng verflochten mit zeitlichen, räumlichen und gesellschaftlichen Bedingungen. Mit Methoden der historischen Hungerforschung und dem da etablierten Vulnerabiltitätskonzept werden die Texte der Hebräischen Bibel danach befragt, wie die Menschen extreme Klimaereignisse wahrgenommen, gedeutet und bewältigt haben. Dabei zeigt sich, dass die Texte nie einfache, monokausale Erklärungen bereithalten, sondern sich auf eine Reihe von unterschiedlichen, teilweise widersprüchlichen Aussagen stützen. Gott, Mensch und Natur erscheinen in dieser Vorstellung als Akteure, die miteinander agieren und die Katastrophe gleichermaßen mitverantworten.

In 1 Sam 16 to 1 Kings 2, David is depicted as repeatedly endangered and threatened. This study i... more In 1 Sam 16 to 1 Kings 2, David is depicted as repeatedly endangered and threatened. This study is the first examination of these texts as a whole. The centrality of the motif of David in danger is evidenced by the wide reception of this theme in the Early Modern era, as illustrated by Benito Arias Montano’s text on David, the ceiling frescos at Schloss Eggenberg near Graz, and drawings by Rembrandt, Rubens, and Boeckhorst.

Edited Books by Sara Kipfer

Power comprises one of the key topics of the book of Samuel. This theme encompasses tribal conten... more Power comprises one of the key topics of the book of Samuel. This theme encompasses tribal contentions, power differentials between religious authorities and kings, fathers and sons, men and women. The articles assembled here explore Israel's search for political identity and Samuel's critique of monarchy, the book's constructions of power and powerlessness, and the editors' and early audiences' postmonarchic reflections. Historical and social-scientific approaches to the book of Samuel find ancient Near Eastern parallels for the political organization of Israel and describe the social conditions under authoritarian regimes. Redactional approaches examine the diachronic development of Samuel's varying perceptions of monarchy, from that institution's inception through its entrenchment in Israelite and Judahite society, until it underwent a sudden, cataclysmic failure. And literary and theological approaches advocate for contemporary reconsideration and application of the book's more noble principles.

Papers by Sara Kipfer

The Carmel ridge was only scarcely settled during the whole Bronze Age. Only a road connecting Te... more The Carmel ridge was only scarcely settled during the whole Bronze Age. Only a road connecting Tell Qēmūn / Tel Yoqneʿām and the Jezreel valley with the Mediterranean coast came in use during the Middle Bronze Age II period and was still in use during the Late Bronze Age. During the Iron Age settlement activity increased and the hill was likely used for wine and oil plants. This economic use was intensified in later periods. Already in the 15th century BCE the landmark next to the Mediterranean Sea was considered as a religious site. Historically the region can be seen as an important border and contact zone with a mixture of religious (and cultural) influences. From an ideological and theological point of view, the Carmel is mentioned together with Lebanon, Bashan and other regions in the Books of Prophets. The fact, that the Carmel is so frequently referred to in combination with different regions in oracles of the doom as well as visions of salvations demonstrates its transregional importance as object of divine destruction as well as a place for promise.

Klimakatastrophen wahrnehmen, deuten und bewältigen. Jer 14* und Joel 1–2* als Klage anlässlich e... more Klimakatastrophen wahrnehmen, deuten und bewältigen. Jer 14* und Joel 1–2* als Klage anlässlich einer Dürre, in: Erbele-Küster, Dorothea / Móricz, Nikolett / Oeming, Manfred (Hrsg.): „Gewaltig wie das Meer ist dein Zusammenbruch“ (Klgl 2,13). Theologische, psychologische und literarisch-exegetische Dimensionen der Traumaforschung, Hermeneutische Untersuchungen zur Theologie 89, Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck (2022), 147–171.

Hanna bringt Samuel in den Tempel (1Sam 1) – Darstellungen des Wandels der Mutterrolle in Bildern... more Hanna bringt Samuel in den Tempel (1Sam 1) – Darstellungen des Wandels der Mutterrolle in Bildern vom 17. bis ins 20. Jahrhundert, in: Dietrich, Walter (Hrsg.): Samuelmusik. Die Rezeption des biblischen Samuel in Geschichte, Musik und bildender Kunst, SBR 19, Berlin / Boston: Walter de Gruyter (2021), 67–91.

Famine belongs to one of several divine punishments which are referred to again and again in the ... more Famine belongs to one of several divine punishments which are referred to again and again in the Hebrew Bible and throughout the Ancient Near East. Oracles and curses mention famine as a future-conditional event. This paper focuses on a subgroup of texts announcing not only famine and aggregate food-supply shortfalls but expressing the abolition of the regular order and the connection between deed and punishment (e. g., people will plant but never enjoy the fruits, they will eat but never have enough, etc.). While in the so called indictment/judgment oracles (e. g. Hos 4:10–11; Am 4:6–8; 5,10–11; Mic 6:9–16; Zeph 1:12–13) the offence has already be done, in the so called “treaty curses” the punishment will only be fulfilled in case of violation of the inscription (Statue from Tell Feḫerīye; Bukān Stela), the treaty (Sfīre Stela) or the covenant (Lev 26:14–39; Deut 28:15–44). In either case the emotion of fear plays an important part. These dystopian texts (“futility curses”) convey a warning predicting a bleak future and in some cases the expectation of the future even surpasses what has been experienced in the past by stressing the futility of action.

The last months disclose not only the fatal consequences of a global pandemic 1 but also the tigh... more The last months disclose not only the fatal consequences of a global pandemic 1 but also the tight link between collective fear and social behavior, as well as power structures and political decision making. 2 The recent global events vividly illustrate how differently individuals and social groups perceive such threats and how differently they respond to it depending on cultural conditions and political climates in states, societies, and individual sub-cultural groups. Fear was and is omnipresent-everywhere and always. Thinking of plagues like the Black Death and the Spanish Flu, of periods of war like the Thirty Years' war and the First and Second World War, or local events with a more or less global impact, like terrorist attacks and natural catastrophes (droughts, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, volcanic eruptions, etc.) collective states of fear have been known and dealt with throughout history. They have made an irreversible impact on collective memories and they illustrate how fear can be used and misused. Effects and coping are dependent on the collective state of mind of a certain social group as well as contingent on the emotional climate prevailing and the emotional regime established. In the wake of these recent events, it seems somewhat timely to take a look at the phenomenon of collective fear in ancient cultures and how this fear was dealt with on both a non-recurring and daily basis. 1 This refers to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic status has been declared by the WHO on the March 11 th , 2020. https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-generoal-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19-11-march-2020. Last time assessed 06.08.2020. 2 First studies analyzing the effect of fear of an infection with Covid-19 virus have already been issued in the fields of psychology and medicine in general. See, e. g., D.

Bibliographische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek ver... more Bibliographische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliographie; detaillierte bibliographische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.dnb.de abrufbar.

The parallels between 1 Sam 14:47–48, 52 and 2 Sam 8:11*–12, 15* have long been noted (Budde 1902... more The parallels between 1 Sam 14:47–48, 52 and 2 Sam 8:11*–12, 15* have long been noted (Budde 1902). However, their relation is still debated: it has been argued that the list of Saul’s wars was written in analogy to the wars of David (Stoebe 1973; Bezzel 2015) or, vice versa, that the praise of Saul was later added to the story of David (Dietrich 2015). Finally, it has been suggested that both lists were the product of the same redactor (Eißfeldt 1931; Veijola 1975; Klein 2002).
This paper will reevaluate these complicated literary historical problems by taking into account the ancient Near Eastern context. The passages 1 Sam 14:47–52 and 2 Sam 8:11–12, 15* show striking similarities to battle reports by Aramean, Moabite and especially Neoassyrian rulers (e.g. Shal-maneser III). These rulers seem to have used notes about the conquered people, numbers of casual-ties, reports of hostile coalitions, lists of booty and the items’ consecration, mentions of tributaries and governors, etc., in their power-communication. The phenomenon of envisioning the power of one king in comparison to that of another was very common and some deeds may occur repeatedly. Considering the relation of power and knowledge it is not surprising that Saul and David were depicted as successfully fighting against all their enemies west, east, south and north. Although 1 Sam 14:47–52, 2 Sam 8:11*–12, 15*, and 2 Sam 8:1–11*, 13–14 may not be regarded as “historio¬graphy”, they should be considered as three independent although fragmentary lists displaying the early Israelite and Judahite monarchy’s self-conception and shedding light on the respective rules of David and Saul and the communication of each king’s power.

Needless to say, monarchy and more generally "power" (Macht), "authority" and "dominion" (Herrsch... more Needless to say, monarchy and more generally "power" (Macht), "authority" and "dominion" (Herrschaft) are among the key issues in the Book of Samuel. This volume is not the first one to analyze the Book of Samuel and its response to monarchy, and it certainly won't be the last. 1 The Book of Samuel has long been viewed as a "Geschichtsbuch" 2 of sorts, reflecting the emergence of monarchy in Israel and Judah. 3 But alongside this use, the Book of Samuel has also been understood as a treatise on political theory. According to Westermann, the phenomenon of the political emerges so strongly in the book's historical descriptions-of, for example, the institution of the monarchy and the succession to the throne-because the monarchy itself comprised a great new innovation in the early history of Israel and Judah. 4 Yet, as central as the monarchy is in the Book of Samuel, the book looks both forward and backward to periods in which Israel and Judah had no king. In much early biblical scholarship, researchers focused on 1 Sam 7-15 as the transition between the period of the Judges and the monarchic period. Today, many scholars attempt to reconstruct the legacy of the monarchy during the post-monarchic period, understanding that the final form of Samuel provides crucial documentation of later generations' reflection on the failure of the monarchy (see IAN D. WILSON, Remembering Kingship). 5 It is no sur-1 See e.g. Halbertal / Holmes, The Beginning of Politics. For a research overview on contemporary studies of Israelite political thought generally, see, e.g., Hamilton, A Kingdom for a Stage, 12-15. See also Oswald, Staatstheorie im Alten Israel, 10. The aim of his monograph is "den staatstheoretischen Charakter der alttestamentlichen Erzähltexte im Diskurs ihrer jeweiligen Abfassungszeit […] herauszuarbeiten" (11). 2 See von Rad, "Typologische Auslegung des Alten Testaments," 23: "Das A.T. ist ein Geschichtsbuch". Von Rad, "Der Anfang der Geschichtsschreibung," 159, considered the Succession Narrative "als die älteste Form der altisraelitischen Geschichtsschreibung". See for the discussion, Blum, "Ein Anfang der Geschichtsschreibung?," 4-37. There is a very long ongoing discussion to what extent the Book of Samuel should be considered as "historiography" ("history") and to what extent they are "fiction" ("story"). See, e.g., Eynikel, "Introduction," 1-17. 3 See, e.g., Dietrich, "Staatsbildung und frühes Königtum in Israel," 189-202. 4 Westermann, "Zum Geschichtsverständnis des Alten Testaments," 612. "Das Phänomen des Politischen im eigentlichen Sinn tritt in der Thronfolgegeschichte so stark heraus, weil dies in der frühen Königszeit die große neue Entdeckung war." 5 See, e.g., Wilson, Kingship and Memory in Ancient Judah; Gilmour, Representing the Past: A Literary Analysis of Narrative Historiography in the Book of Samuel. Several recent volumes point equally to this shift in perspective. See, e.g., Silverman / Waerzeggers, Political Memory in and after the Persian Empire, Edelman / Ben Zvi, Leadership, Social Memory and Judean Discourse. 11 In the present volume, Bezzel correctly points to the fact that exegesis is not possible without presuppositions; this is, of course, a very general hermeneutical problem. See, e.g., Bultmann, "Is Exegesis Without Presupposition Possible?" Or to formulate the problem with the words of Gadamer, Truth and Method, 283: "Research in the human sciences cannot regard itself as in an absolute antithesis to the way in which we, as historical beings, relate to the past. At any rate, our usual relationship to the past is not characterized by distancing and freeing ourselves from tradition. Rather, we are always situated within traditions, and this is no objectifying processi.e., we do not conceive of what tradition says as something other, something alien. It is always part of us, a model or exemplar, a kind of cognizance that our later historical judgment would hardly regard as a kind of knowledge but as the most ingenuous affinity with tradition."

Jahrbuch für Biblische Theologie, 2020

This paper deals with different concepts of »nature« in the Hebrew Bible. In current research, na... more This paper deals with different concepts of »nature« in the Hebrew Bible. In current research, nature is mainly reduced to »creation«. However, nature is not only conceptualized as an »object«, but was also subject of actions and »emotions« such as praise and fear of God. The relation between God and nature is therefore ambiguous (God was seen as opposed to nature and as part of nature) and undertook several changes throughout the first millennium BCE. The same is true for the relationship between humans and nature. In many instances, nature in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East was conceptualized as a resource for life and wisdom with a strong moral and ethical impact (Weltordnung). Humans are part of nature and highly dependent on it. At the same time, however, they are facing nature and are actively shaping it. As will be shown, the Hebrew Bible does not foster a dichotomy between »creation« and »creator« or between »culture« (history) and »nature,« but rather presents a whole set of different approaches and concepts. What is consistent is that God, humans, and nature were seen as highly relational and interconnected.

Fear is an emotion that is often expressed in a bodily reaction and that frequently leads to a co... more Fear is an emotion that is often expressed in a bodily reaction and that frequently leads to a concrete action. It is thus not surprising that the conceptualization of fear in the book of Deuteronomy is strongly linked to the activation and moral formation of both individual and community. On the one hand, and especially in the book’s eve-of-battle rhetoric, fear is something to be avoided and confined so that it does not contaminate the entire community (“fear not!”). On the other hand, when its object is the nation’s deity, fear is something to be learned and taught (“so that they may learn to fear me… and teach their children for ever”). In both capacities, fear in Deuteronomy has an extraordinary potential to shape the social order. It has a key role to play in stabilizing society and promoting both collective and individual flourishing, while also being understood as a destabilizing, destructive force that is to be quarantined as if it were a contagious virus.

Die Erzählung von Davids Helden, wie sie für David unter Einsatz ihres Lebens in Bethlehem Wasser... more Die Erzählung von Davids Helden, wie sie für David unter Einsatz ihres Lebens in Bethlehem Wasser holen und dieser es vor Jhwh ausgießt (2 Sam 23,(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19), ist heute kaum mehr bekannt. Im Spätmittelalter und insbesondere bei den Antwerpener Manieristen war die Erzählung jedoch sehr beliebt. Sie wurde häufig zusammen mit der Königin von Saba vor Salomo und der Anbetung der Weisen aus dem Morgenland dargestellt. Im Zentrum dieser typologischen Auslegung steht die Anbetung und Verehrung Christi, in die der Auftraggeber beziehungsweise Besitzer mit seiner Frömmigkeit mit einbezogen werden sollte. Unter dem Einfluss der Reformation veränderte sich die Auslegung insgesamt: Lediglich ein knappes Jahrhundert später wird die Erzählung in einem Kupferstich als moralisches Exempel für Selbstkontrolle und Verzicht verwendet. In einem Landschaftsgemälde von Claude Lorraine spielt sie schliesslich nur noch eine untergeordnete Rolle. Die Heldenerzählung wird historisiert, sie verliert ihre Bedeutung und gerät in Vergessenheit.

Jahrbuch für Biblische Theologie, 2020

The perception of the human body as container is widespread in cognitive linguistics, psychology ... more The perception of the human body as container is widespread in cognitive linguistics, psychology and anthropology and is estimated to be universal. But what can we say about the specific context of the Hebrew Bible as well as Ancient-Near-Eastern texts and material culture, and more especially about anthropomorphic vessels in the Levant? Biblical, Egyptian and Mesopotamian texts compare the human body with pottery in order to emphasize its status of having been created (Geschöpflichkeit) on the one hand, and its fragility (Zerbrechlichkeit) on the other. Not in every case does the metaphor refer to an individual.

Die Theologie beschäftigt sich mit keiner anderen Welt als die Umwelt(natur)wissenschaften. Sie v... more Die Theologie beschäftigt sich mit keiner anderen Welt als die Umwelt(natur)wissenschaften. Sie versteht die Welt jedoch nicht aus sich heraus, sondern als Teil eines Relationsgefüges. Dabei thematisiert sie das komplexe Verhältnis von Mensch und Natur im Kontext seiner religiösen Deutungen. Eine Sakralisierung oder Divinisierung der Natur oder des Lebens wird dabei ebenso problematisiert wie ein materialistischer Reduktionismus. Während die bibelwissenschaftliche und historische Theologie religiöse Deutungsmuster von „Natur“ in ihrem historischen Kontext analysiert, bezieht die systematische Theologie Fragen gegenwärtiger Welt- und Naturverhältnisse in den Forschungsdiskurs ein. Theologische Umweltethik bedenkt religiöse, kulturelle und ethische Aspekte menschlicher Lebensführung. Hier setzt sie sich insbesondere mit der engen Korrelation von sozialen und ökologischen Aspekten sowie mit Freiheit, Verantwortung und Handlungsfähigkeit unter Endlichkeitsbedingungen und angesichts bedrohlicher Zukunftsszenarien auseinander.

** Call for Applications ** An der Fakultät Humanwissenschaften und Theologie der Technischen Uni... more ** Call for Applications **
An der Fakultät Humanwissenschaften und Theologie der Technischen Universität Dortmund ist an der Professur für Altes Testament am Institut für Evangelische Theologie zum 1. Februar 2025 die Stelle einer*s wissenschaftlich Beschäftigten (m/w/d) befristet für die Dauer von 3 Jahren zu besetzen. Die Entgeltzahlung erfolgt entsprechend den tarifrechtlichen Regelungen nach Entgeltgruppe 13 TV-L. Es handelt sich hierbei um eine 100%-Stelle. Eine Beschäftigung in bzw. Reduzierung auf Teilzeit ist grundsätzlich möglich. Die Möglichkeit zur wissenschaftlichen Weiterqualifikation (Promotion) ist gegeben.

Fear is one of the strongest motivations and incentives for human actions. A basic or primary emo... more Fear is one of the strongest motivations and incentives for human actions. A basic or primary emotion, fear does not only govern reactions to immanent stimuli, but it also influences reactions and decisions that concern situations that are yet to happen. The human capacity to anticipate future events and to act prophylactically on them are considerably fostered by fear: Fear of what could potentially happen. Collective fear is especially entangled with its sociocultural and historical embedding. It feeds to a large extent (also not exclusively) on shared social self-images, mutual ideologies and common values. Religious and political world views as well as current discourses and established power structures determine how fear is appraised and how strategies are developed to face it. In past and present times, people cope with collective fear and anxiety on very different levels. In our days, state-run risk and hazard analyses, counter terrorist measures, and disaster control can be mentioned. Likewise, we observe engagements with dystopia in movies, literature, and the fine arts. How fear and anxiety based on (alleged) knowledge of events of the past and their possible reoccurrence have been expressed, mastered, managed, exploited, or tabooed, is a desideratum for research in the study of the Ancient Near East. In this vein, this workshop proposes to tackle these issues through the different and complementary perspectives of the text and material based sciences. It hopes to bring into focus such phenomena as coping with fear (e.g. laments and myth), preventing damaging incidents and situations (e.g. rituals, the construction of defense and protection architecture, building up stocks), and dispelling the instrumentation of fear and anxiety (e.g. threat of divine punishment and of losing divine favor).