Characters and Characterization in the Book of Judges

Keith Bodner, Benjamin J.M. Johnson, Keith Bodner, Benjamin J.M. Johnson

• Publisher: T&T Clark
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN:
  9780567700506
• eBook ISBN:
  9780567700513
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

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.

Table of contents

• 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