The Fate of Saul's Progeny in the Reign of David

ISBN-13: 9780227680360 / Angielski / Miękka / 2012 / 372 str.

Cephas Tushima

Opis

Cephas Tushima provides a thorough analysis of the fate of Saul's heirs, focussing on whether their tragedies were due to continuing divine retribution, coincidence, or Davidic orchestration. He concludes that David was unjust and calculating in his dealings with the Saulides and, like other Near Eastern usurpers, perpetrated heinous injustices against the vanquished house of Saul. Traditionally readers saw Saul as evil and David as a hero; but more recently scholars have written about Saul as a tragic character and David as a villain, turning the book of Samuel into deeply contested interpretive territory. Tushima provides analysis of the critical literature surrounding this contentious issue and contributes his own study that will prove important to the continuing debate. He assesses David's character by analysing how he treats the surviving children of his predecessor, drawing upon the provisions for justice in the covenant community in the book of Deuteronomy. He demonstrates a connection between Samuel and the Torah through themes and motifs, and develops theological conclusions from them on such issues as the impact of human conduct on the environment, marriage, monarchy and Zion theology.