(Download) "Ancestral Motifs in 1 Samuel 25: Intertextuality and Characterization." by Journal of Biblical Literature " eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Ancestral Motifs in 1 Samuel 25: Intertextuality and Characterization.
- Author : Journal of Biblical Literature
- Release Date : January 22, 2002
- Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines,Books,Professional & Technical,Education,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 228 KB
Description
While it is rather tenuous to speak of general consensus with respect to virtually every question of interest to biblical studies, several broad areas of agreement seem to have been reached over the past several decades concerning the narrative of David's encounters with Nabal and Abigail recorded in 1 Sam 25. First, students of the passage usually consider it a relatively self-contained, unified account representing a tradition predating the Deuteronomistic History (= DtrH). (1) Second, a number of scholars emphasize the highly intertextual character of the passage, especially in relation to the Ancestral Narratives (= AN). (2) Third, it has become commonplace to interpret 1 Sam 25 primarily in terms of the apologetic purposes of the so-called Narrative of David's Rise (= NDR). (3) This article will briefly examine these three perspectives on 1 Sam 25, will suggest an alternative understanding of the account, and will explore implications of this understanding for the question of the relationship between Genesis and the NDR. First, we will argue that the text displays an intricate, almost baroque structure that seems more consistent with literary artifice than oral tradition and calls into question the value of the account as a historical source. Second, we will show that the intertextual character of 1 Sam 25 seems to be almost satirical, and certainly ironic, in nature. With respect to the intriguing question of the direction of dependence, the intertextual intricacies embodied in 1 Sam 25, and in particular the resulting ironic portrayal of David, suggest that much of the account has been composed utilizing elements of the written patriarchal tradition. Third, we will suggest that the redactor responsible for including 1 Sam 25 in the NDR was not apparently motivated by an interest in exonerating David. Finally, we will reevaluate the customary early dating for 1 Sam 25. As will be shown, given the literary character, intertextual dependence on the patriarchal/matriarchal tradition, and subversive agenda of 1 Sam 25, the assumption that it predates the DtrH by several centuries must be abandoned.