David and the Deuteronomist
Subtitle: 2 Samuel
By: Robert Polzin.
Series: Indiana studies in biblical literature; A literary study of the Deuteronomic history ;; pt. 3
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: 1993
Place of publication: Bloomington
Language: eng
Number of pages: 245
Subjects: Bible. O.T. Samuel, 2nd -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.
Description: This reading of 2 Samuel continues the analysis of the books of Samuel begun in Samuel and the Deuteronomist. The figure of David drawn in 2 Samuel both dominates the story and provides a major challenge to readers who would view the larger narrative as a unified historiography composed by sophisticated authors and editors. The fates of Saul and David in 1-2 Samuel seem to cohere only with great difficulty, and David's own story appears to many to be a pastiche of earlier sources. Polzin's provocative new reading of 2 Samuel makes a strong case for a complex yet coherent picture of the monarchy within Israelite theology. Using the insights of Mikhail Bakhtin and other modern scholars, Polzin argues that the composition of the Deuteronomic History was a major step in the development of an important genre in world literature, and that the books of Samuel are an excellent example of the genius of ancient Israelite narrative.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 215-233) and indexes.