Samuel
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The Book of Samuel narrates with compelling drama the institution of monarchy in Ancient Israel and the early development of the house of David, a polity that will rule the southern kingdom of Judah over the centuries that follow. Poetry and lists are integrated into this historiographical masterpiece with its cast of charismatic characters, its plot of political intrigue, and its literary artistry. For contemporary scholars and readers, Samuel has offered a wealth of material for historical analysis, political philosophy, and insights into ancient storytelling techniques. However, composed over several centuries of Israel’s history, this inquiry is far from straight forward: Samuel reflects theological and ideological interests from a range of historical contexts before, during, and after the Babylonian exile, and many of its literary features invite both diachronic and synchronic explanations.
This volume introduces students and readers to the narrative, theological, and political complexity of the Book of Samuel. In “Preliminary Considerations,” traditional approaches to biblical study are applied to Samuel, including concerns with structure, themes, theology, history, and composition. In “Issues in Exegesis,” the essays work sequentially through the Book of Samuel, bringing the text into dialogue with a range of critical methodologies that push our discipline forward and invite emerging scholars to see the full richness of this book, including archaeology, memory, history, gender, interspecies, reception history, and political readings. Each of these essays will illuminate the book with close exegetical detail while simultaneously providing students with an overview of the field of Biblical Studies at its interdisciplinary forefront.
This volume will be first published online and then as a print book.
Provisional Table of Contents:
Preliminary Considerations
1. Structure, themes and theology in the book of Samuel
Rachelle Gilmour
2. Historiography and Samuel
Mahri Leonard-Fleckman
3. Composition of Samuel
Jeremy M. Hutton
Issues in Exegesis
4. Hoping and Working for Change: A Feminist Reading of 1 Samuel 1–3
Ilse Muellner
5. Multiplying mice, mother cows, and errant oxen: An interspecies reading of the Ark Narrative (1 Samuel 4-6, 2 Samuel 6)
Suzanna Millar
6. The Institution of Kingship in Ancient Israel: An Act of Averting or Inviting Chaos (1 Samuel 7-12)
Hulisani Ramantswana
7. Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Disentangling the Saulide Traditions in 1 Samuel 13–15
Nathaniel Greene
8. The Afterlife of Gath of the Philistine (1 Samuel 17)
Daniel Pioske
9. Desiring Men: Gender and Sexuality in 1 Samuel 18-23
Rhiannon Graybill
10. “If a Man Finds His Enemy, Will He Let Him Go?” (1 Samuel 24-26)
Steven L. McKenzie
11. The Philistine David, Contested Friendship, and the Politics of Solidarity (1 Samuel 27-30)
Ki-Eun Jang
12. A Plethora of Conflicting Views: A Reception Exegetical Study of 1 Samuel 31–2 Samuel 1
Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer
13. The Unhistories of Michal and Rizpah: An Affective Political Reading of 2 Samuel 2-4
Dong Sung Kim
14. 2 Samuel 5–10: Remembering the Foundations of Davidic Kingship
Ian D. Wilson
15. Desire and the Deity: Love Triangles in 2 Samuel 11–12
Maria Metzler
16. The Price of Love: Gender, Power, and Divine Will in 2 Samuel 13-20
Song-Mi Suzie Park
17. When Warriors Come Together: Structure, Message and Literary Considerations in 2 Samuel 21 and 23
Shira Golani
18. Remembering the Pestilence: Visualizing 2 Samuel 24 in Plague Columns, Altars, and Ceiling Paintings
Sara Kipfer
Published: Jun 1, 2027