From <https://www.mohrsiebeck.com/en/book/motivating-violence-in-ancient-judaism-9783162008961/>:linebreak========================linebreaklinebreakJoseph ScaleslinebreakMotivating Violence in Ancient JudaismlinebreakPre-Battle Speeches in Second Temple Literaturelinebreak2027. 379 pages.linebreakforthcoming in November 2026linebreakTexts and Studies in Ancient Judaism (TSAJ) 192linebreak€149.00linebreak978-3-16-200896-1linebreaklinebreakThe battle is about to begin. The commander takes their place in front of their troops and surveys the opposing horde. The odds seem stacked against them. Fear strikes the hearts of the soldiers. There is only one thing to be done: to fight by sheer force of will. This is the moment in which a rousing exhortation can secure victory. In the face of overwhelming odds, a heroic speaker calls upon their audience not to fear but to take courage.linebreaklinebreakIn warfare, commanders incite combatants to violence by centring the oppositional identity of their enemies, the historic value of their fight, and the divine support for their cause. These incitements were often delivered in the immediate moments before combat - in other words, as a pre-battle speech. Joseph Scales collects and analyses every known pre-battle exhortation in Second Temple Jewish sources and earlier.linebreaklinebreakThese literary examples can shed light on aspects of identity creation for in-text audiences and their enemies. Their narrative arcs reveal and promote the deeply held convictions of the author channeled into a context of urgency and heightened emotion, making them all the more impactful. For this reason, these texts continue to provide a framework for self-understanding and perception of one's enemies, motivating violence throughout history.linebreaklinebreakTable of contents:linebreakChapter 1: »Fighting Talk« - IntroductionlinebreakA. Pre-battle speeches between oration and narrativelinebreakB. Jewish sources as narrativeslinebreakC. Criteria for selection in this studylinebreakD. Success criterialinebreakE. Pre-battle speech corpus overviewlinebreakF. Chapter layoutlinebreakChapter 2: »Listen to me« - Who gives a Jewish pre-battle speech?linebreakA. Speeches in characterlinebreakB. The principal speech-giverslinebreakC. Who gives a pre-battle speech?linebreakChapter 3: »Do not fear, but take courage« - Assuring the audiencelinebreakA. Injunctions against fearlinebreakB. Injunctions towards couragelinebreakC. Fear amongst the enemieslinebreakD. The role of fear and courage in assuring the audiencelinebreakChapter 4: »For they are...« - Creating an enemylinebreakA. Enemy characterisationlinebreakB. Creating an otherlinebreakC. Out-group conceptionslinebreakD. Recollection and »memory« deploymentlinebreakChapter 5: »For we are...« - Binding an audiencelinebreakA. Audience characterisationlinebreakB. Means of cohesionlinebreakC. In-group framing and conceptionslinebreakD. Us and themlinebreakChapter 6: »If we fail... if we succeed« - Outlining consequenceslinebreakA. Reasons for battle and results from violencelinebreakB. The consequences of failurelinebreakC. The rewards of successlinebreakD. RealisationlinebreakChapter 7: ConclusionslinebreakA. Summary of the above findingslinebreakB. Points of contact and a varied developmentlinebreakC. Effects upon readers and hearerslinebreakD. Legitimate applications of violencelinebreakE. What is an ancient Jewish pre-battle speech?linebreaklinebreak--- linebreak