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Menstruation and childbirth in the bible : fertility and impurity

This book offers a careful study of biblical texts on menstruation and childbirth in the light of their ancient Near Eastern background. Close reading of the biblical texts, based on classical and feminist biblical interpretation, and supported by comparative study of ancient Near Eastern sources and anthropology, reveals a rich and varied picture of these female events. Fertility and impurity are closely connected to menstruation and childbirth, but their place and importance are different in priestly and nonpriestly writings of the Bible, which are therefore separately dealt with. This book contributes to a better understanding of physiological, social, cultural, and religious aspects of menstruation and childbirth in the larger context of body and society and women and men.

Geburt, ein Übergang : rituelle Vollzüge, Rollenträger und Geschlechterverhältnisse ; eine alttestamentliche Textstudie

Birth in Babylonia and the Bible : its Mediterranean setting

Utilising material spanning 3000 years, this book examines childbirth in the Biblical and Babylonian world. It follows the mother and child from conception to weaning, analyzing a variety of different texts and topics. It deals with the vicissitudes and procedures of labour and delivery, delivery with magical plants and amulets, and with legal issues relating to abortion or to the liability of the wet-nurse. Many of the texts are rich and distinctive. Babylonian incantations to facilitate birth describe the child moving "over the dark sea" and, like a ship, reaching "the quay of life". Discussions are supplemented with relevant examples drawn from Greek and Roman sources, Rabbinic literature, and modern ethnographic material from traditional Middle Eastern societies. The last chapter deals with the horrible baby-snatching demon, Lamastum.