The Proselyte and the Prophet: Character Development in Targum Ruth by Christian M. M. Brady is an exegetical study of Targum Ruth with a focus upon the transformation of the biblical characters into exemplars of rabbinic piety. Ruth becomes the ideal proselyte while Boaz is presented as a judge, a scholar of the Law, and a prophet. Brady demonstrates that the Targumist follows standard Targumic practice, rendering each Hebrew word of the biblical text into Aramaic, while making additions that further his agenda of presenting Ruth as a rabbinic model to be emulated.
In addition to the character analysis Brady provides a transcription of the manuscript Valmadonna 1, a new translation into English, and a verse-by-verse commentary of Targum Ruth.
Christian M. M. Brady, DPhil (2000), the University of Oxford, is associate professor of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies and Jewish Studies at the Pennsylvania State University. He has published extensively on Targumic literature and The Rabbinic Targum of Lamentations (Brill, 2003).
Those interested in the interpretation of the Bible, the Book of Ruth, Targumic literature, rabbinic exegesis, and conceptions of conversion.