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 Jephthahs daughter; why the trickster hero Ehud disturbs interpreters; and the ways in which Abimelechs characterization affects the key narrative themes of succession and kingship in his story.
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Fills a gap in Hebrew Bible scholarship by examining the characters and their characterization in the Book of Judges, particularly focusing on their effect on storytelling.
Contributors
Abbreviations
Time Would Fail Me to Tell: An Introduction Character Study in the Book of
Judges
Benjamin J.M. Johnson, LeTourneau University, USA
1. Humor, characterization, and the theology of Judges
Joel Kaminsky, Smith College, USA
2. Ehud and Eglon: Cunning Behavior in the Bible
Greger Andersson, Örebro University, Sweden
3. Deborah If Not a Deliverer, What Kind of Leader was She?
Yairah Amit, Tel-Aviv University, Israel
4. Blessed Destroyer: The Characterization of Jael as a Warrior
in Command and an Instrument of Yahweh
Elizabeth P. Backfish, William Jessup University, USA
5. Gideon: Epic Hero, Biblical Judge, and Political Subversive
Susan Niditch, Amherst College, USA
6. The Man Who Would Be King
Benjamin J.M. Johnson, LeTourneau University, USA
7. A Gileadite Responder: Verbing the Character of Jephthah
Tammi J. Schnieder, Claremont Graduate University, USA
8. Jephthahs Daughters, Ethical and Unethical: Characterization and Ethics
David Janzen, Durham University, UK
9. Domesticating Samson
Robert Kawashimi, University of Florida, USA
10. Delilahs Mysterious Role in Samsons Destiny: The Dynamics of
Power, Knowledge, and Mystery
Athena Gorospe, Asian Theological Seminary, The Philippines
11. Samson as Everyman in Israel
Gregory T.K. Wong, Evangel Seminary, Hong Kong
12. Mothers Little Helper: Micah and His Big Idea
Robin Baker, University of Winchester, UK
13. A Mother, a Son, a Levite and a Tribe (Judg 1718)
Susanne Gillmayr-Bucher, Catholic Theological Private University
of Linz, Austria
14. Of all the characters in scripture, she is the least: the Levites
concubine and the discourse of silence
Francis Landy, University of Alberta, Canada
15. Six Characters in Search of a Deity: Talking about God in the Book
of Judges
Keith Bodner, Crandall University, USA
Afterword
J. Cheryl Exum, University of Sheffield, UK
Bibliography
Index
Keith Bodner is Professor of Religious Studies and Stuart E. Murray Chair of Christian Studies at Crandall University, Canada.
Benjamin J.M. Johnson is Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at LeTourneau University, USA.
