David's Secret Demons

David's Secret Demons PDF Author: Baruch Halpern
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 9780802827975
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 516

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Book Description
This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. The Bible portrays King David as an exceptional man and a paragon of godly devotion. But was he? Some scholars deny that he existed at all. Did he? This challenging book examines the written and archaeological evidence critically in an effort to paint an accurate picture of one of the Bible's central figures. Neither defending nor rejecting the traditions about David, Baruch Halpern, a leading scholar of biblical history and the ancient Near East, traces the origins of development of David's persona. Because the biblical text clearly responds to concerns that can only be contemporary with David himself, we can believe that David was both real and a central actor in the historical drama of ancient Israel. Yet at the same time, the written record also shows that contemporaries understood David's character to be much more unsavory trhan the tradition has hitherto allowed. Halpern digs beneath the layers of tradition to understand David as an individual, as a person. The man he uncovers turns out to have been complex, ambiguous, and -- above all -- surprising. According to Halpern, the image of David grew over time. He was the founder of the dynasty that perpetuated the texts about him, and they progressively exaggerated his accomplishments. But in the earliest writings David remains a modest figure, as this book shows for the first time. To understand David as a human being, one must keep in mind that he was primarily a politicians who operated in a rough-and-tumble environment in which competitors were ready literally to slit throats. Halpern's work raises many provocative questions: Was David an Israelite or a Philistine? Was Solomon really David's son? Did David take the throne of Israel by the consent or against the will of the people? How many murders did he commit on his way to the crown? Indeed, was David someone it would have been wise to even invite to dinner? The challenging arguments in David's Secret Demons are sure to provoke all kinds of discussion among biblical scholars and general readers alike. In addition -- a big bonus -- Halpern's accessible, at times humorous prose will itself draw readers everywhere into the compelling story of David found between these covers.

David's Secret Demons

David's Secret Demons PDF Author: Baruch Halpern
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 9780802827975
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 516

Get Book Here

Book Description
This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. The Bible portrays King David as an exceptional man and a paragon of godly devotion. But was he? Some scholars deny that he existed at all. Did he? This challenging book examines the written and archaeological evidence critically in an effort to paint an accurate picture of one of the Bible's central figures. Neither defending nor rejecting the traditions about David, Baruch Halpern, a leading scholar of biblical history and the ancient Near East, traces the origins of development of David's persona. Because the biblical text clearly responds to concerns that can only be contemporary with David himself, we can believe that David was both real and a central actor in the historical drama of ancient Israel. Yet at the same time, the written record also shows that contemporaries understood David's character to be much more unsavory trhan the tradition has hitherto allowed. Halpern digs beneath the layers of tradition to understand David as an individual, as a person. The man he uncovers turns out to have been complex, ambiguous, and -- above all -- surprising. According to Halpern, the image of David grew over time. He was the founder of the dynasty that perpetuated the texts about him, and they progressively exaggerated his accomplishments. But in the earliest writings David remains a modest figure, as this book shows for the first time. To understand David as a human being, one must keep in mind that he was primarily a politicians who operated in a rough-and-tumble environment in which competitors were ready literally to slit throats. Halpern's work raises many provocative questions: Was David an Israelite or a Philistine? Was Solomon really David's son? Did David take the throne of Israel by the consent or against the will of the people? How many murders did he commit on his way to the crown? Indeed, was David someone it would have been wise to even invite to dinner? The challenging arguments in David's Secret Demons are sure to provoke all kinds of discussion among biblical scholars and general readers alike. In addition -- a big bonus -- Halpern's accessible, at times humorous prose will itself draw readers everywhere into the compelling story of David found between these covers.

The Historical David

The Historical David PDF Author: Joel Baden
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 006218833X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 255

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Book Description
Joel Baden, a leading expert on the Old Testament, offers a controversial look at the history of King David, the founder of the nation of Israel whose bloodline leads to Jesus, challenging prevailing popular beliefs about his legend in The Historical David. Baden makes clear that the biblical account of David is an attempt to shape the events of his life politically and theologically. Going beyond the biblical bias, he explores the events that lie behind the David story, events that are grounded in the context of the ancient Near East and continue to inform modern Israel. The Historical David exposes an ambitious, ruthless, flesh-and-blood man who achieved power by any means necessary, including murder, theft, bribery, sex, deceit, and treason. As Baden makes clear, the historical David stands in opposition not only to the virtuous and heroic legends, but to our very own self-definition as David’s national and religious descendants. Provocative and enlightening, The Historical David provides the lost truth about David and poses a challenge to us: how do we come to terms with the reality of a celebrated hero who was, in fact, similar to the ambitious power-players of his day?

David's Spiritual Secret

David's Spiritual Secret PDF Author: Dr. John S. Barnett
Publisher: Mullerhuas
ISBN: 9780979834547
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 466

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Book Description
God wrote more in the Bible about David than any other human that ever lived on Earth. Why was so much space given to him? Because God wanted us to learn David s spiritual secret, which was how he faced the same troubles, trials, and disasters that we all face and yet kept on serving God. In the Book of Psalms we find the record of David s life lived each day walking with God. From David s struggles with finding purpose for his life to coping with feelings of spiritual failure and abandonment, his life represents the struggles of all believers. David s Spiritual Secret offers encouragement in every circumstance and in all walks of life. If you want to learn to live the life of a believer after God s own heart, this book is for you.

Amazing Secrets of King David

Amazing Secrets of King David PDF Author: Ola-Thomas Olufemi
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1499015127
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 61

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Book Description
The first mention of Davids name is in the book of 1 Samuel 16:13. The mention of his name was so significant because it came with an unusual gait. Before this time, he had remained an insignificant minor of the family of Jesse who, though young and underage, was saddled with a giant responsibility of taking care of the large flock of Jesses familyall alone in the wild field. He was left alone irrespective of various dangers that abound in the field. He was considered too young to be counted as one of the sons of Jesse even when Samuel the priest made a request to Jesse to parade all his sons for one to be anointed as the new king over Israel in place of the erring Saul. But in 1 Samuel 16 verse 13, the story changed. David became a separated individual among the sons of Jesse with a clear distinction. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brethren, and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward (1 Sam. 16:13). The significance of that unusual encounter became the separator and distinguishing factor between David and his brethren as events unfolded later in his life. That was because the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. David rose from an ordinary minor to an extraordinary warrior and a renowned king of all times. What are the amazing secrets behind this transformation?

The Life Of David

The Life Of David PDF Author: Arthur Pink
Publisher: Darolt Books
ISBN: 8835362296
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 869

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Book Description
The Life Of David is a message of meditation based on the Bible and written by Arthur Walkington Pink was born in Nottingham, England, to a corn merchant, a devout non-conformist of uncertain denomination, though probably a Congregationalist. Otherwise, almost nothing is known of Pink's childhood or education except that he had some ability and training in music. As a young man, Pink joined the Theosophical Society and apparently rose to enough prominence within its ranks that Annie Besant, its head, offered to admit him to its leadership circle. In 1908 he renounced Theosophy for evangelical Christianity. Desiring to become a minister but unwilling to attend a liberal theological college in England, Pink very briefly studied at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago in 1910 before taking the pastorate of the Congregational church in Silverton, Colorado. In 1912 Pink left Silverton, probably for California, and then took a joint pastorate of churches in rural Burkesville and Albany, Kentucky. In 1916, he married Vera E. Russell (1893–1962), who had been reared in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Pink's next pastorate seems to have been in Scottsville. Then the newlyweds moved in 1917 to Spartanburg, South Carolina, where Pink became pastor of Northside Baptist Church. By this time Pink had become acquainted with prominent dispensationalist Fundamentalists, such as Harry Ironside and Arno C. Gaebelein, and his first two books, published in 1917 and 1918, were in agreement with that theological position. Yet Pink's views were changing, and during these years he also wrote the first edition of The Sovereignty of God (1918), which argued that God did not love sinners and had deliberately created "unto damnation" those who would not accept Christ. Whether because of his Calvinistic views, his nearly incredible studiousness, his weakened health, or his lack of sociability, Pink left Spartanburg in 1919 believing that God would "have me give myself to writing." But Pink then seems next to have taught the Bible with some success in California for a tent evangelist named Thompson while continuing his intense study of Puritan writings.

Israel's Past

Israel's Past PDF Author: Bob Becking
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 311071728X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 313

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Book Description
How should one write a history of Ancient Israel? In the last few decades, a lively discussion has taken place on the historiography of ancient Israel. Minimalists such as Philip Davies, Thomas Thompson, and Niels Peter Lemche challenged the usefulness of the Hebrew Bible as a source for constructing Israel's past. Maximalists like Baruch Halpern and William Dever argued instead that the data from the Hebrew Bible should be trusted until otherwise proven. Others – among whom we can name Hans Barstad, Rainer Albertz, and Lester Grabbe – took a third road. The essays in this volume follow that third road by applying insights from the field of philosophy of history. A dozen case studies from David to the earliest Samaritans demonstrate how difficult it is to write a history of ancient Israel without falling in the abyss of an ideology in one direction or another. The matrix designed by Manfred Weippert to look at the past through five windows (landscape, climate, archaeology, epigraphy and only at the end the Hebrew Bible) turned out to be more helpful. The conclusion of this research is that there are some stable pillars in the swamp of the past, but it comes with the warning that the space between these pillars is large and cannot easily be filled.

Thou Art the Man

Thou Art the Man PDF Author: Ruth Mazo Karras
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN: 0812253027
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
"This book is a work of medieval history and the history of gender and sexuality. It looks at the biblical King David, who has multiple paradigmatic identities in the Middle Ages: king, military leader, adulterous lover, sinner. It views David primarily from the perspective of medieval European Christian society but also from the medieval European Jewish viewpoint"--

The Biblical Saga of King David

The Biblical Saga of King David PDF Author: John Van Seters
Publisher: Penn State Press
ISBN: 1575066149
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 401

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Book Description
The biblical story of King David has been interpreted in many different ways, arising from the variety of methods used in and the intended objectives of the studies: Does the narrative contain insight into and information about the early history of the Judean monarchy, or is it merely a legendary tale about a distant past? Can we identify the story’s literary genre, it sociohistorical setting, and the intention of its author(s)? Is an appreciation for the wonderful literary qualities of the story compatible with a literary-critical investigation of the narrative’s compositional and text-critical history? Van Seters reviews past scholarship on the David story and in the course of doing so unravels the history of these questions and then presents an extended appraisal of the debate about the social and historical context of the biblical story. From this critical foundation, Van Seters proceeds to offering a detailed literary analysis of the story of David from his rise to power under Saul to his ultimate succession by Solomon.

Writing and Rewriting the Story of Solomon in Ancient Israel

Writing and Rewriting the Story of Solomon in Ancient Israel PDF Author: Isaac Kalimi
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108471269
Category : Bibles
Languages : en
Pages : 405

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Book Description
Analyses Solomon's birth, rise, and temple-building within scriptural, archaeological and historical contexts.

1 & 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Study Guide

1 & 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Study Guide PDF Author: David Firth
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350008974
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 114

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Book Description
Scholarly study of Samuel continues to wrestle with how we interpret this pivotal text. Even such basic matters as the question of what kind of literature it is remain unresolved while older questions such as the nature of its text and sources are debated anew in the light of material from Qumran and of current approaches to Hebrew narrative. Recognizing the importance of questions such as these, David Firth explores and introduces fresh ways of reading Samuel as a unified and yet complex text, which displays high levels both of literary artistry and of theological commitment. Although some stories in the books of Samuel are well known, and in the case of David and Goliath even proverbial, much of the content of these books is strange to modern readers. It is a story about a woman wanting a child, for example, that relates the beginnings of monarchy within Israel. Even the question of the monarchy is problematic, for we are introduced to not one royal family but two-those of Saul and David. David is ultimately shown to be the king chosen by God, yet by the end of the book he is only just managing to hold on to the kingdom as it is nearly torn from him by rivalries within his family. These arresting stories are perplexing, for Samuel's writers seldom tell us how to read and interpret them. Firth presents these complex and fascinating stories as part of a bigger picture, enabling students to chart their way through the literary and historical issues of the Samuel narrative. Firth addresses issues of historicity, sources, date and authorship, as well as -- crucially -- appreciating the text as a literary whole.