“How lonely sits the city”

: An Exploration of Loneliness and Human Connection in the Hebrew Bible, in Conversation with Select Modern Empirical Research on Loneliness

Abstract

Loneliness is a perennial feature of the human experience, and a prevalent phenomenon in today’s society. It has severe consequences for physical and mental health, and has been exacerbated by reduced social contact during the coronavirus pandemic. This thesis contends that loneliness is also a significant, and as yet unexplored, motif within the Hebrew Bible.

The purpose of this research is to investigate what specific texts in the Hebrew Bible say about loneliness, and whether they can be brought together to form a coherent depiction of loneliness in the Hebrew Bible. This is done by analysing biblical texts that include the vocabulary of bd and its cognates, and examining these findings with reference to each other. The thesis also aims to discover how the depiction of loneliness in the Hebrew Bible compares to modern medical research on human loneliness, and to existing biblical scholarship on the emotions and divine absence. Finally, it seeks to ascertain how the Hebrew Bible can be brought into the current interdisciplinary conversation about loneliness.

This thesis has found that loneliness is indeed a significant and reasonably coherent motif throughout the Hebrew Bible. Feelings of loneliness can be exacerbated when they occur alongside perceptions of divine absence, but human connection is far more important for causing or mitigating such feelings. The best way of understanding loneliness in the Hebrew Bible, and bringing it into the contemporary discourse on loneliness, is through employing a hermeneutic of trauma. Doing so can provide a way for lonely individuals to begin to move beyond loneliness towards the biblical concept of shalom, or ‘wholeness’, and for others to join them on this journey through friendship and witness. Such movement is, of course, not always possible, but the Hebrew Bible remains a highly productive resource for building resilience, even in the face of loneliness, suffering, and loss.

Date of Award	1 Sept 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	King's College London
Supervisor	Paul Joyce (Supervisor) & Jonathan Stökl (Supervisor)