Food and Transformation in Ancient Mediterranean Literature by Meredith J C Warren

Food and Transformation in Ancient Mediterranean Literature by Meredith J C Warren

In this book Meredith J.C. Warren identifies and defines a new genre in ancient texts that she terms hierophagy, a specific type of transformational eating where otherworldly things are consumed. Multiple ancient Mediterranean, Jewish, and Christian texts represent the ramifications of consuming otherworldly food, ramifications which were understood across religious boundaries. Reading ancient texts through the lens of hierophagy helps scholars and students interpret difficult passages in Joseph and Aseneth, 4 Ezra, Revelation 10, and the Persephone myths, among others.

Meredith J. C. Warren is an FRQSC postdoctoral fellow at the University of Ottawa. She completed her doctorate in New Testament and Early Judaism at McGill University in Montreal under the direction of Ellen Aitken.