Samuel and the Shaping of Tradition

Samuel and the Shaping of Tradition PDF Author: Mark Leuchter
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191634174
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 168

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Book Description
Samuel stands out in many important biblical texts as the figure who facilitated ancient Israel's transition from a tribal league to a monarchic state. On the surface of the text, this transition appears clear and linear, as does Samuel's role in bringing Israel together as a nation and selecting its first kings. Beneath this surface, however, is a far more complicated network of memories, sources and agendas, each presenting a very different picture of Samuel and his social, religious and ideological function. In some sources, Samuel serves as a symbol of Israel's developing priesthood and its system of social ethics, demonstrating the tensions within the priestly ranks. In others, Samuel's prophetic status is utilized to periodize Israel's history into distinct categories, positioning prophets over monarchs as national authorities. Elsewhere, Samuel is recruited to qualify - and disqualify - different forms of political organization in pre-monarchic Israel and systems of social hierarchy. Finally, the Jewish and Christian exegetical traditions return to the figure of Samuel and mine the texts in which he appears to re-structure Israel's national identity and the later communities that claimed descent from it. Mark Leuchter explores how the Samuel of these sources differs from the Samuel of the final form of the text, how the different writers used him to shape their ideas and transmit their messages, and how Samuel functions as a vehicle for the creation of a more elaborate literary superstructure drawn from discreet sources.

Samuel and the Shaping of Tradition

Samuel and the Shaping of Tradition PDF Author: Mark Leuchter
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191634174
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 168

Get Book Here

Book Description
Samuel stands out in many important biblical texts as the figure who facilitated ancient Israel's transition from a tribal league to a monarchic state. On the surface of the text, this transition appears clear and linear, as does Samuel's role in bringing Israel together as a nation and selecting its first kings. Beneath this surface, however, is a far more complicated network of memories, sources and agendas, each presenting a very different picture of Samuel and his social, religious and ideological function. In some sources, Samuel serves as a symbol of Israel's developing priesthood and its system of social ethics, demonstrating the tensions within the priestly ranks. In others, Samuel's prophetic status is utilized to periodize Israel's history into distinct categories, positioning prophets over monarchs as national authorities. Elsewhere, Samuel is recruited to qualify - and disqualify - different forms of political organization in pre-monarchic Israel and systems of social hierarchy. Finally, the Jewish and Christian exegetical traditions return to the figure of Samuel and mine the texts in which he appears to re-structure Israel's national identity and the later communities that claimed descent from it. Mark Leuchter explores how the Samuel of these sources differs from the Samuel of the final form of the text, how the different writers used him to shape their ideas and transmit their messages, and how Samuel functions as a vehicle for the creation of a more elaborate literary superstructure drawn from discreet sources.

Samuel and the Shaping of Tradition

Samuel and the Shaping of Tradition PDF Author: Mark Leuchter
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0199659338
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 169

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Book Description
Leuchter explores the biblical texts revolving around the figure of Samuel, and considers how the authors utilize him as a symbol to address the cultural memories and contemporary politics of their audiences. Samuel's role as a priest, a prophet, a judge, a warrior, a lawgiver and a kingmaker are examined in light of the origins of ancient Israel.

Archaeology of the Books of Samuel

Archaeology of the Books of Samuel PDF Author: Philippe Hugo
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 904744387X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
Considering the literary dimension of the earliest text history of Samuel, this volume asks the question if the comparative analysis of the textual witnesses permit proving the existence of distinct literary editions and identifying the ideological motives that governed the possible modification of the text.

The Book of Samuel and Its Response to Monarchy

The Book of Samuel and Its Response to Monarchy PDF Author: Sara Kipfer
Publisher: Kohlhammer Verlag
ISBN: 3170370413
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 345

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Book Description
Power comprises one of the key topics of the book of Samuel. This theme encompasses tribal contentions, power differentials between religious authorities and kings, fathers and sons, men and women. The articles assembled here explore Israel's search for political identity and Samuel's critique of monarchy, the book's constructions of power and powerlessness, and the editors' and early audiences' postmonarchic reflections. Historical and social-scientific approaches to the book of Samuel find ancient Near Eastern parallels for the political organization of Israel and describe the social conditions under authoritarian regimes. Redactional approaches examine the diachronic development of Samuel's varying perceptions of monarchy, from that institution's inception through its entrenchment in Israelite and Judahite society, until it underwent a sudden, cataclysmic failure. And literary and theological approaches advocate for contemporary reconsideration and application of the book's more noble principles.

The First Book of Samuel

The First Book of Samuel PDF Author: David Toshio Tsumura
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 1467422975
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 707

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Book Description
David and Goliath, the call of Samuel, the witch of Endor, David and Bathsheba — such biblical stories are well known. But the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, where they are recorded, are among the most difficult books in the Bible. The Hebrew text is widely considered corrupt and sometimes even unintelligible. The social and religious customs are strange and seem to diverge from the tradition of Moses. In this first part of an ambitious two-volume commentary on the books of Samuel, David Toshio Tsumura sheds considerable light on the background of 1 Samuel, looking carefully at the Philistine and Canaanite cultures, as he untangles the difficult Hebrew text.

First and Second Samuel

First and Second Samuel PDF Author: Feidhlimidh T. Magennis
Publisher: Liturgical Press
ISBN: 0814647782
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 169

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Book Description
First and Second Samuel tell the story of the beginnings of monarchy in ancient Israel. These two powerful narratives present many great figures of biblical history—Samuel, Saul, and David—and explore the complex interaction of historical developments and human fidelity under God. In the books of Samuel, characters interact to influence and persuade, to express motivation and desire, and to shape the reader's understanding of the issues that faced the Israelites as they responded to God's invitation to covenant. Through the medium of story, the reader shares in the perennial struggle to discover, in the midst of personal and political conflict, God's ways for humanity.

1 Samuel as Christian Scripture

1 Samuel as Christian Scripture PDF Author: Stephen B Chapman
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 080283745X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 357

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Book Description
In this theological commentary on 1 Samuel, Stephen Chapman probes the tension between religious conviction and political power through the characters of Saul and David. Saul, Chapman argues, embodies civil religion, a form of belief that is ultimately captive to the needs of the state. David, on the other hand, stands for a vital religious faith that can support the state while still maintaining a theocentric freedom. Chapman offers a robustly theological and explicitly Christian reading of 1 Samuel, carefully studying the received Hebrew text to reveal its internal logic. He shows how the book's artful narrative explores the theological challenge presented by the emergence of the monarchy in ancient Israel. Chapman also illuminates the reception of the David tradition, both in the Bible and in later history: even while David as king becomes a potent symbol for state power, his biblical portrait continues to destabilize civil religion.

2 Samuel (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible)

2 Samuel (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible) PDF Author: Robert Barron
Publisher: Brazos Press
ISBN: 1441221964
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
The Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible encourages readers to explore how the vital roots of the ancient Christian tradition should inform and shape faithfulness today. In this addition to the series, highly acclaimed author, speaker, and theologian Robert Barron offers a theological exegesis of 2 Samuel. He highlights three major themes: God's non-competitive transcendence, the play between divine and non-divine causality, and the role of Old Testament kingship. As with other volumes in the series, this book is ideal for those called to ministry, serving as a rich resource for preachers, teachers, students, and study groups.

1 Samuel (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible)

1 Samuel (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible) PDF Author: Francesca Aran Murphy
Publisher: Baker Books
ISBN: 144123294X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 507

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Book Description
This addition to the well-received Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible offers theological exegesis of 1 Samuel. This commentary, like each in the series, is designed to serve the church--providing a rich resource for preachers, teachers, students, and study groups--and demonstrate the continuing intellectual and practical viability of theological interpretation of the Bible. "The Brazos Commentary offers just the right level of light to make illuminating the word the joy it was meant to be."--Calvin Miller, author of A Hunger for the Holy and Loving God Up Close

1 and 2 Samuel

1 and 2 Samuel PDF Author: R. P. Gordon
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0905774647
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 105

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Book Description
A comprehensive introduction to the critical issues raised by scholarship on both books of Samuel. The often intricate problems are dealt with clearly and engagingly; the chapters deal with the Deuteronomistic History, the Shiloh tradition, the Ark narrative, the rise of the monarchy, the reign of Saul, the story of David, the Davidic covenant, the Succession Narrative and the Samuel appendix. A first-rate guide for students, with annotated bibliographies and indexes.