Sunday’s Coming

Steadfast love for sorrowful people (Ruth 1:1-18)

Ruth offers a striking contrast to the chaos and moral ambiguity of the judges era.

To receive these posts by email each Monday, sign up.

For more commentary on this week's readings, see the Reflections on the Lectionary page. For full-text access to all articles, subscribe to the Century.

The book of Ruth, a unique narrative situated in the period of the judges, is widely regarded by scholars as a composition from the post-exilic era. I align with those who argue that it was authored as a counter-narrative to the exclusivist policies in Ezra-Nehemiah, which mandated the dissolution of marriages between Jewish men and non-Jewish women to preserve Jewish identity.