The Place of Touch in Greco-Roman Antiquity and in the Old Testament

This study examines the place and meaning of touch in Greco-Roman antiquity and in the Old Testament. It argues that touch operates within a distinct sensory worldview in each context, playing a performative and communicative role governed by social hierarchy and cultural convention in the Greco-Roman world, and by the covenant relationship between God and Israel in the Old Testament. In both settings, tactile acts mediate healing, power, blessing, affection, and authority, while also marking and maintaining boundaries important to the community.