Bart Ehrman’s post – A Great Short Story in Scripture: The Book of Ruth. December 12, 2021. Two paragraphs are below.
One of the real gems among the books of the Hebrew Bible is the four-chapter book of Ruth, the tale of a Moabite woman married to and then widowed by an Israelite man, who then uses her wits, determination, and sexuality to ward off desolation. In the English Bible, the book appears in the middle of the Deuteronomistic History (even though it was originally not a part of it), because the opening verse indicates that its action took place “In the days when the judges ruled” (1:1). But it was written sometime after the Deuteronomistic History was produced; several words used in this gripping narrative are borrowings from Aramaic, and so the book appears to have been written in the postexilic period, possibly in the fifth or fourth century b.c.e. As with the other books we are considering in this chapter (apart from Jonah) it is found in the Hebrew Bible among the Kethuvim.
His follow-up post is A Suggestive Story in the Book of Ruth, December 14, 2021
As with all short stories, the book of Ruth is meant to provide an entertaining narrative, and it certainly does that. But it also is trying to make a number of points for its readers. The reader is most forcefully struck with the importance of family relations and personal devotion and commitment played out in the various scenes of the story: Ruth’s commitment to Naomi; Naomi’s concern for Ruth; Boaz’s love for Ruth. This is a story about the power of personal relations and how interpersonal bonds can bring unity and hope out of desolation and potential despair.
