Masking and Unmasking Ourselves, livre ebook

Our clothes conceal our naked bodies but what do they reveal about our souls?

"Clothes assume a primary importance as a vehicle that suggests character, provides insights into a person's identity and even governs it…. But the problem is that if Oscar Wilde is correct that 'if you give a man a mask, he will tell you the truth,’ then what exactly conveys the truth? Is it the person him or herself or is it the mask, the clothing that he or she wears, that reveals deeper images of self?"
—from the Introduction

In this highly engaging look at clothing and identity in the Bible, renowned teacher and scholar Norman Cohen presents ten Bible stories that involve clothing in an essential way, as a means of learning about the text, its characters and their interactions. But he also shows us how these stories help us confront our own life dramas, our own stories, ourselves. In doing so, he once again presents the Bible as a mirror, reflecting back to us our own personalities, ambivalences, struggles and potential for growth. By helping us uncover the garments of the Bible, Cohen shows us how to shed our own layers of insulation to reveal our authentic selves.

Preface
Introduction
1 Divine Garments of Creation Concealing Our Nakedness, Revealing Our Inner Core (GENESIS 3)
2 Noah's Garments after the Flood Ensuring Protection or Covering Shame? (GENESIS 9)
3 The Garments of Disguise—Am I Jacob or Esau? Revealing and Concealing Identity (GENESIS 27)
4 Stripping Joseph of His Special Coat A Symbol of Power and Status, a Source of Pain and Isolation (GENESIS 37)
5 Tamar Confronts Judah Masks Can Reveal More Than They Conceal about Us (GENESIS 38)
6 Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife Uncovering True Identity (GENESIS 39)
7 Aaron’s Death and the Symbolism of the Priestly Garments Vehicles of Holiness and Transformation (NUMBERS 20)
8 David Dons Saul’s Armor Wearing Our Garments, Embracing Our Own Identity (1 AND 2 SAMUEL) 9 Elijah and Elisha—Transferring the Prophet’s Mantle Passing on Authority, Wearing It in Individual Ways (1 AND 2 KINGS)
10 Esther, Mordechai, and Haman Change of Garments; Change of Identity (THE BOOK OF ESTHER) Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes
Suggested Further Readings