The Logic of Incest: A Structuralist Analysis of Hebrew Mythology.

• Author: Steinberg, Naomi

This book aims to demonstrate that, in the case of Hebrew mythology, the results of diachronic analysis can be used to complement and give nuance to conclusions reached through independent synchronic study. Kunin's methodological approach first integrates mythical structures with biblical narrative structures, and then, in order to provide an alternative to traditional structuralist exegesis, supplements this synchronic surface analysis with the diachronic depth reached through the study of rabbinic texts. Ultimately, Kunin intends to convince the reader of the methodological gains to be made by combining synchronic and diachronic analysis of the mythological structures inherent in the biblical texts of Genesis, and thus in Hebrew mythology in general, and by then plotting the course of these structures diachronically through a study of the developments and transformations of these myths in a range of rabbinic literature. Thus, Kunin argues the case for applying Levi-Strauss's structural anthropology to the study of so-called "hot" societies, i.e., those recognizing history and change.

Kunin relates mythology to worldview. "Mythology is defined as the logical framework or metaphor through which society views or creates its past, present and future - it is a creator of ontology. . . . A myth, then, is a text, historical or otherwise, which has been shaped by (and shapes) this logical framework" (p. 40). For purposes of this study, the lens through which ancient Israel views itself is determined by boundary distinctions. Accordingly, Kunin examines the way in which the biblical text addresses Israel's relationship to the nations surrounding her. An ideology of distinctiveness and uniqueness creates the necessity of carefully establishing boundaries of insider/outsider. The problematic of both ideological and geographical closeness yields a preference for endogamy, or incest. Kunin's analysis of the connection between narrative and mythology leads him to conclude that the biblical text supports ". . . a logic by which endogamy/chosenness is perceived as the natural and logical choice, and it is precisely the role of mythology to prove that cultural choices are also natural choices" (p. 256).

The specific mythical transformations examined in this volume include the opposition between: brothers, insider and outsider, Israel and the nations, and father...