In the Book of Judges, why, if we view Samson as a heroic Übermensch, do we read his story one way, yet if we read him as a buffoonish and violent oaf, we read the story another way? How does our assessment of the characters of a story, our empathy with them or suspicion of them, shape the way we read it? This book addresses these questions by analyzing the complex characterization in the Book of Judges, paying attention to an often neglected but important area of study in the Hebrew Bible. Its international group of contributors explore the implications of characterization on storytelling, situating their contributions within the context of literary studies of the Hebrew Bible, and offering multiple perspectives on the many and various characters one encounters in the Book of Judges. Chapters examine a range of topics, including the relationship between humor, characterization and theology in Judges; the intersection of characterization and ethics through the story of the story of Jephthah's daughter; why the 'trickster hero' Ehud disturbs interpreters; and the ways in which Abimelech's characterization affects the key narrative themes of succession and kingship in his story.

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Yes, you can access Characters and Characterization in the Book of Judges by Keith Bodner, Benjamin J.M. Johnson, Keith Bodner, Benjamin J.M. Johnson in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Theology & Religion & Biblical Studies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

Publisher

T&T Clark

Year

2023

ISBN

9780567700513

Edition

Topic

Theology & Religion

Subtopic

Biblical Studies

Cover
Halftitle page
Title page
Copyright page
CONTENTS
CONTRIBUTORS
ABBREVIATIONS
TIME WOULD FAIL ME TO TELL: AN INTRODUCTION TO CHARACTER STUDY IN THE BOOK OF JUDGES Benjamin J.M. Johnson
Chapter 1 HUMOUR, CHARACTERIZATION AND THE THEOLOGY OF JUDGES1 Joel S. Kaminsky
Chapter 2 EHUD AND EGLON: CUNNING BEHAVIOUR IN THE BIBLE Greger Andersson
Chapter 3 DEBORAH - IF NOT A DELIVERER, WHAT KIND OF LEADER WAS SHE? Yairah Amit
Chapter 4 BLESSED DESTROYER: THE CHARACTERIZATION OF JAEL AS A WARRIOR IN COMMAND AND AN INSTRUMENT OF YHWH Elizabeth H.P. Backfish
Chapter 5 GIDEON: EPIC HERO, BIBLICAL JUDGE AND POLITICAL SUBVERSIVE Susan Niditch
Chapter 6 THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING Benjamin J. M. Johnson
Chapter 7 A GILEADITE RESPONDER: VERBING THE CHARACTER OF JEPHTHAH Tammi J. Schneider
Chapter 8 JEPHTHAH’S DAUGHTERS, ETHICAL ANDU NETHICAL: CHARACTERIZATION AND ETHICS David Janzen
Chapter 9 DOMESTICATING SAMSON Robert S. Kawashima
Chapter 10 DELILAH’S MYSTERIOUS ROLE IN SAMSON’S DESTINY: THE DYNAMICS OF POWER, KNOWLEDGE AND MYSTERY Athena E. Gorospe
Chapter 11 SAMSON AS EVERYMAN IN ISRAEL1 Gregory T. K. Wong
Chapter 12 MOTHER’S LITTLE HELPER: MICAH AND HIS BIG IDEA Robin Baker
Chapter 13 A MOTHER, A SON, A LEVITE AND A TRIBE (JUDG. 17-18) Susanne Gillmayr-Bucher
Chapter 14 ‘OF ALL THE CHARACTERS IN SCRIPTURE, SHE IS THE LEAST’: THE LEVITE’S CONCUBINE AND THE DISCOURSE OF SILENCE Francis Landy
Chapter 15 SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF A DEITY: TALKING ABOUT GOD IN THE BOOK OF JUDGES1 Keith Bodner
AFTERWORD J. Cheryl Exum
BIBLIOGRAPHY