| This dissertation investigates literary tropes and metaphors that indicate pleasing scents and spices and explores their transformation in ancient Jewish literature. The project is divided into two parts: Hebrew Bible and rabbinic exegesis (primarily on Song of Songs in Song of Songs Rabbah and Genesis Rabbah). The study also includes analysis of the textual representation of the mechanics of fragrance and olfaction, and cultural (historical and archaeological) data to inform the investigation. The project first defines the scent terms from the Bible (e.g., soothing odor, myrrh and frankincense, incense), and then catalogs them according to the genres and contexts in which they appear. The second step is an evaluation of clustered terms, as these depict new metaphorical employments. The two broad categories of cultic uses (primarily as depicted in the priestly and prophetic material) and aesthetic metaphors (chiefly employed in the poetry of Song of Songs) as well as their associated characteristics, valences, and oppositional correlatives are analyzed. The final chapter in this section describes those instances in the text in which the boundaries of sacred and secular description are crossed or enmeshed in order to derive new metaphorical associations. The second part of the dissertation entails an examination of rabbinic literature in which Biblical scent terms either serve as the trigger or possess valences that carry an interpretive force. As a result, dynamic aspects of rabbinic thought are illuminated, particularly: concepts about theology and geography (e.g., the garden, heaven, and Diaspora); how the "other" is defined (e.g., attitudes toward the idealized female vs. depictions of real women); hierarchies of rabbinic values (e.g., righteousness, study, mitzvot); and embellishment of historical moments. Employing scent as a lens, the study explores how the ancient rabbis reframed Biblical notions of sacrifice and soothing odor into aspects of martyrdom. In turn, these portrayals of martyrdom demonstrate an imbrication in the primary categories of eros and thanatos (love and death) and their attendant valences (of love, arousal, atonement, and suffering). |
