The Supporting Cast of the Bible

Book excerpt: This book spotlights the Old Testament’s “supporting cast,” the vast array of nameless characters wedged in the margins of biblical stories. Often categorized as literary props or aspects of scenery, these anonymous figures (“laborers,” “a creditor,” “the crowd,” “servants,” “elders,” “a midwife,” etc.) frequently shoulder the burden of a story that is never theirs. Grounded in literary theory, Gina Hens-Piazza sets forth a new taxonomy for these often anonymous characters.