Although the relationship of the Hebrew Bible and violence has been of interest to scholars in recent years, ritual violence in its various manifestations has been underexplored, as have the theoretical dimensions of ritual violence. This volume is intended to bring into relief the full range of violent rites represented in the Hebrew Bible, many rarely, if ever, considered. It seeks to explore what acts of ritual violence might accomplish socio-politically in their particular settings and the ways in which engagement with theory from a variety of disciplines can contribute to our understanding of ritual violence as a phenomenon. The volume consists of an introduction and eight essays. Topics include cognitive perspectives on iconoclasm, the instrumental dimensions of ritual violence against corpses, the ritual killing of cities ("urbicide"), royal rites of military loyalty, the ends accomplished by political violence in David's story, comparison of the Rwanda genocide and material dimensions of the biblical herem, the exchange of women among men and its violent dimensions, and the ritual assault on cities. Authors include Debra Scoggins Ballentine, T. M.
Lemos, Mark Leuchter, Nathaniel B. Levtow, Susan Niditch, Saul M. Olyan, Rudiger Schmitt, and Jacob L. Wright.