The determination of social identity in the story of Ruth

Biblical Theology Bulletin, Summer, 2006 by Victor H. Matthews

Abstract

This study focuses on the formation of social identity in ancient Israel. In particular, the issue raised here is the manner in which displaced individuals are able to integrate of reintegrate themselves into a local community. The process, as exemplified in the story of Ruth and Naomi, demonstrates the movement from a liminal social condition to a liminal spatial placement to a defined social condition within an established social space.

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Twenty years ago, Larry Stager (1980) provided a methodological paradigm for the study of the social world of ancient Israel in his article, The Archaeology of the Family in Ancient Israel. He makes it clear that ethno-archaeological analysis of the material culture as represented by domestic architecture can "provide guidelines within which the archaeologist can reconstruct aspects of everyday life" (Stager: 18). He argues the necessity of employing modern ethnographic methods to help determine kinship relationships and other aspects of social organization. In particular, he notes that "beyond the household, a villager's identity and social status are enmeshed in larger kinship networks" (Stager: 20). Since that time, additional studies (Matthews & Benjamin; Perdue; Campbell) have added to the general familiarity with social scientific theory and method. Most recently, the examination of the social aspects of the 4-room house (Bunimovitz & Faust [2002, 2003] and Clark) have sparked renewed interest in social identity, inclusion/exclusion, public and private zones, as well as utilitarian space. What each of these studies has demonstrated is the usefulness of examining the biblical narrative within the context of its material culture.

Since a great deal of attention already has been given to the social dynamics of the bet 'ab, the basic household social unit comprised of an extended family of perhaps 10-12 individuals, and how it relates to domestic architecture, this study will direct its attention to the formation of social identity in ancient Israel. In particular, the issue raised here is the manner in which displaced individuals are able to reintegrate themselves into a local community. The process, as exemplified in the story of Ruth and Naomi, demonstrates the movement from a liminal social condition to a liminal spatial placement to a defined social condition within an established social space.

The Storytelling Process

Before moving into the biblical narrative, it is necessary first to note the process employed by the ancient storyteller. This creative agent makes conscious decisions about what portion of the real or created social world his/her characters inhabit. As a result, the story as artifact may be a true reflection of society as it existed in the time of the storyteller or it may be a perceived understanding of the society by the storyteller that existed in the time in which the story is set. It may in fact be a complete fabrication generated by the mind of the storyteller. Sometimes, using social scientific theory and methods as well as archaeological data, it is possible to come to a satisfactory conclusion about the social world depicted in a particular story. Characters in a story are positioned to fulfill particular and socially recognizable roles. Additionally, if the storyteller is hoping to achieve some measure of acceptable reality, then there are also legal constraints that provide focus to character development and shape appropriate behaviors. In this way the audience can intuit much of what is going on and can even anticipate future action within the storyline. They understand power relationships, the implications of conversation, and the relevance of non-human entities of conditions to the story. However, it is when the audience is surprised, shocked, or amused within the context of what is perceived as "true to life behavior" that the storyteller demonstrates true versatility and broad understanding of the social world that serves as the background to the entire, narrative.

Story and Social Elements in the Book of Ruth

The story of Ruth begins with a death--or in this case three deaths, interestingly, the tie between disasters (famine and death), seasonal markers (the barley harvest), and social transition (Naomi and Ruth as widows) functions as a primary storytelling device to initiate action and shape character development here (Britt: 9). Also intrinsic to this story is its multi-cultural nature. Two ethnic groups, Moabite and Israelite, are involved. Presumably the family-based values and relationships inherent to both are at play here, forming the cement that provides each its singular identity amidst a larger society comprised of crisscrossing social differences (Bahloul: 27). However, while Ruth is identified repeatedly as a Moabite (1:22; 2:2, 6, 21; 4:5, 10) exposing in this label the Israelite ethnic prejudices and some understanding of that culture and its values, no trace of what a Moabite believes or considers essential is mentioned in the text. Instead, Ruth is treated as an "uprooted person," who imposes on herself an expunging of her Moabite heritage, creating a cultural tabula rosa upon which Israelite social values then can be written. This development is then combined with Ruth's social condition as a widow. As a result, she becomes doubly liminal through the combination of her social status with her decision to immigrate.