‘David and Jonathan: A Medieval Bromance?’ Discussion Set for Ohio Wesleyan
Ruth Mazo Karras, Ph.D.
DELAWARE, Ohio – University of Minnesota history professor Ruth Mazo Karras, Ph.D., will visit Ohio Wesleyan University on April 9 to discuss pre-modern masculinity and relationships between elite men when she presents “David and Jonathan: A Medieval Bromance?”
Her presentation will incorporate literature and scriptural commentary to examine the bond between Jonathan, son of Saul and one-time heir apparent to the throne of Israel, and David, slayer of Goliath and Jonathon’s brother-in-law.
The free event will be held at 4:10 p.m. April 9 in the Bayley Room of Ohio Wesleyan’s Beeghly Library, 43 Rowland Ave., Delaware. It is sponsored by the university’s Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program and co-sponsored by the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and Department of History.
“My current research concerns the various ways male friendship was constructed during the Middle Ages, in military and non-military contexts,” Karras states. “I am interested in comparing this across Christian and Jewish cultures.”
Karras is the author of five books including her most recent, “Sexuality in Medieval Europe: Doing Unto Others.” She is general editor of the University of Pennsylvania Press’s Middle Ages Series and co-editor of the journal Gender & History. Currently, she is co-editing the “Oxford Handbook of Women and Gender in Medieval Europe.”
Ohio Wesleyan professor Patricia DeMarco, Ph.D., director of OWU’s Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program, said Karras is well-known and influential in her field.
“Her work is considered path-breaking in a number of fields including gender and sexuality studies, Christian-Jewish relations, and canon law,” DeMarco said. “Her research draws on archives from Scandinavia and England, as well as medieval Europe more broadly.”
Karras earned her Master in Philosophy in European Archaeology from Oxford University and her doctorate in history from Yale University. Read more about Karras at users.cla.umn.edu/~rmk.
Read more about Ohio Wesleyan’s Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program at https://www.owu.edu/academics/departments-programs/ancient-medieval-and-renaissance-studies-program/.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private, coed university offers more than 90 undergraduate majors, minors, and concentrations, and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Ohio Wesleyan combines a challenging, internationally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities to connect classroom theory with real-world practice. OWU’s 1,850 students represent 42 states and 37 countries. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” listed on the 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.