Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar

Esther Brownsmith, PhD

@brownsmith.bsky.social

269 followers 192 following 179 posts

Assistant Professor of Religion at the University of Dayton. Studying dead languages and living ideas. Interested in Hebrew Bible, gender, fanfic theory, and accessible, liberatory pedagogy. She/her.

Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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Check out my latest article, available open access at @jibs-journal.bsky.social !

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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Thank you for answering! That does make sense, even if it makes me a little sad.

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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1) I love this. 2) My #1 “I know it won’t happen but oh how I want it” Veilguard feature is a pacifist option, where you can complete the game without actually killing anyone sentient. Was that ever on the table as a possibility?

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Reposted by Esther Brownsmith, PhD

Reposted by Esther Brownsmith, PhD

Bo Thompson's avatar Bo Thompson @gaudipern.bsky.social
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So many people see this and get a moment of amusement and surprise but never think more about it: This is all of ancient history and archaeology: All of the fatty nooks and crannies lost to the decay of time until we take what remains and reimagine it as a leaner, purpose-built, brutal existence.

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Reposted by Esther Brownsmith, PhD

Pwnallthethings's avatar Pwnallthethings @pwnallthethings.bsky.social
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Rs: We gotta put biblical rules in schools Me: Holy shit! Like a debt jubilee every 7 years? Rs: Haha, no, not that one Me: like "you shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt"? Rs: Hahaha not that one either Me: so, uh, which rules exactly? Rs: Oh, you know the ones

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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Very excited to share that the abstract and table of contents for "Unruly Books: Rethinking Ancient and Academic Imaginations of Religious Texts" are now online. Check out the full information and pre-order here: www.bloomsbury.com/us/unruly-bo...

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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Side note: what's the current best practice for talking about affinity animals? "Patronus" is out because ew TERFs, "spirit animal" and "totem" are appropriative of indigenous cultures...

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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Could you confirm whether Taash is NB? Inquiring minds are VERY EXCITED to know.

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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Cat pics are ALWAYS welcome.

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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Coming this winter to an online academic bookseller near you!

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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Hi, I’m a biblical scholar. My greatest hits include “no, the Bible doesn’t say that,” “yes, the Bible says THAT,” “queer people have always existed,” “it’s never ‘just a metaphor,’” and “patriarchy and empire ruin everything.”

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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This looks AMAZING. Will definitely check it out! Thank you!

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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Read it already, absolutely love it. Good call!

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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They say “emet”, which means truth (and connotes golems).

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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Don’t: DM me your plans to overthrow the government, because it’s not actually secure. Do: DM me any and all juicy secrets, confessions, and/or new music recommendations. I’m all ears!

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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Oooh, may I ask what the paper in the works is?

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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Thank you! Super excited to read it.

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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Same, please! So exciting.

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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In the article, I use the musical Hamilton as an example to bridge the gap between scripture and fanfic, then use affect theory to look at how the book of Esther writes in a way that is embodied and "emotioned." (Shout-out to Brit Kelley for the latter.)

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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I'm thrilled to share that the new issue of The Bible & Critical Theory includes an article by me, among many amazing pieces! This is my first official article presenting my arguments about fan fiction and the book of Esther. bibleandcriticaltheory.com/vol-19-no-1-...

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Best of Hasbara's avatar Best of Hasbara @bestofhasbara.bsky.social
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Refaat Alareer’s daughter, to whom his now-famous “If I Must Die” poem was addressed, was murdered with her husband and son in Gaza today by Israel

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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I have fantastic news! Today is the release day for my new book, "Gendered Violence in Biblical Narrative: The Devouring Metaphor," and it's currently Open Access on the T&F website! Take a look if you're interested in Hebrew Bible, gender, or metaphor theory. www.taylorfrancis.com/books/oa-mon...

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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Your foes would see you sleepless. Resist and rest. You have said “yes” enough. Today is a day to roar “NO.” The gods have bestowed meds to buoy your mighty strength; do not neglect their gifts!

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Nathan K. Hensley's avatar Nathan K. Hensley @nathankhensley.bsky.social
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"environments of clouded agency" is so good— this is exactly what drone technology did in the late 2000s / early 2010s: distended the chain of cause & effect to create the technocratic illusion that a whole disembodied system "did" the murder & not specific ppl who have names and addresses

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Mötley Jëw's avatar Mötley Jëw @sboyarin.bsky.social
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Part of our justifiable horror at the Holocaust is the industrialisation of genocide. What should be our reaction to this?

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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As always, let me know if you need help accessing.

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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New article alert! "Commanding the Queen: Agency and Gender Roles in the Book of Esther," in the Religion and Gender special issue "Beneath the Surface: Gender and Agency in Religious Contexts in Antiquity." brill.com/view/journal...

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Reposted by Esther Brownsmith, PhD

The Conversation U.S.'s avatar The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com
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#Purim starts tonight – a Jewish holiday commemorating the rescue of the Jewish people from annihilation by Queen Esther, as told in the Bible's Book of Esther.

A Bible scholar looks on the story of Esther as a lot like #fanfiction for a Mesopotamian goddess

theconversation.com/purims-origi...

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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To deny that both of these can coexist is to conflate the Israeli government with the Jewish people, which is its own flavor of antisemitism.

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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But also, I see it as a both/and. We can and should read the slaughter in the book of Esther in the light of the horrors in Gaza. AND we also need to recognize that the book of Esther has historically provided hope and joy and resistance to a marginalized community.

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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I saw an online comment on my recent Purim article, upset about the fact that I'm talking about "yay fan fiction" while genocide is going on. And I really do empathize with this critique. Maybe I should've added a comment—or maybe a throwaway comment would have trivialized the tragedy of it.

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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More hype for my upcoming book! The hybrid event will be on April 17 at 4:30pm EST, and registration for Zoom is now open at bit.ly/BrownsmithBo... . Please join me to chat about how metaphors of food underlie some of the Bible's grimmest stories.

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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Those look SO DELICIOUS. Hope they tasted as good as they look!

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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This is my first public piece discussing the topic that will be the focus of my next book: reading the biblical book of Esther as fan fiction. So please read, share, and let me know your thoughts.

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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I am thrilled to share my new article that The Conversation just published! If you're interested in the history of Purim, fresh perspectives on the Bible, or the ways that modern fan fiction can be a lens on ancient writing, check it out.

theconversation.com/purims-origi...

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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Today’s realization: Tamar Biala’s wonderful modern midrash, “And Where Was Sarah,” is more or less literally an example of the Five Things fanfic trope. I might have to use it this fall. (Did I mention that I’m teaching “Bible as Fan Fiction” this fall at U Dayton? Here’s the flyer.)

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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I have finally arrived as a professor. Instead of having regular stress dreams about attending the first day of class unprepared, I dreamed that I showed up to teach the first day of class and hadn't finished the course syllabus yet. Truly terrifying!

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Melissa Gira Grant's avatar Melissa Gira Grant @melissagiragrant.com
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Alyssa Steinsiek: “What matters to me is that an entire generation of queer youth who should be living in the most progressive, accepting period of human history are instead enduring hatred and violence sometimes worse than what I experienced growing up in the rural south.”

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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In the course of three days, I broke both my Eisenbraun's Gezer Calendar mug (2008) and my Eisenbraun's Hittite mug (2012). Neither is in production any more. Feeling very bummed about my lack of ANE-nerd drinking vessels.

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Reposted by Esther Brownsmith, PhD

Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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Exactly the kind of story that makes you doubt “historical progress”. Absolutely gutting. May Nex Benedict’s family find justice and peace.

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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I have good luck with the finger method (wash rice, add more water until it rises above the rice to the depth of the first knuckle of my forefinger). But yeah, rice can be tricky!

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Esther Brownsmith, PhD's avatar Esther Brownsmith, PhD @brownsmith.bsky.social
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Excellent discussion. As a grad student, I wrote a term paper arguing that the "bitter water" (מֵי הַמָּרִים) should actually be repointed and read as "water of myrrhs"—myrrh being another ancient abortifacient. So that's a third option for a practical mechanism.

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