Another Contribution to the Succession Narrative Debate (2 Samuel 11–20; 1 Kings 1–2)
The segment of the biblical history of the monarchy which narrates events leading to the succession of Solomon to the throne of David in 1 Kings 2, known as the Succession Narrative or Court History, continues to generate inconclusive debate as to its extent, its relation to the historical work of w...
| Published in: | Journal for the study of the Old Testament |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage
2013
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| In: |
Journal for the study of the Old Testament
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| Further subjects: | B
Succession
B Redaction B Solomon B David B Reductionism B Saga B Novella |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Electronic
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| Summary: | The segment of the biblical history of the monarchy which narrates events leading to the succession of Solomon to the throne of David in 1 Kings 2, known as the Succession Narrative or Court History, continues to generate inconclusive debate as to its extent, its relation to the historical work of which it is a part, and its ideology. On this last point, its characterization of the principal actors and its realistic narration of events have led some commentators to conclude that its author is expressing a basically negative view of David, Solomon, and the institution of monarchy. After arguing for limiting the extent of the Succession Narrative to 2 Samuel 11–20 and 1 Kings 1–2, the present article disputes two of the most prominent interpretations of the text: that of W. Dietrich, who reads it as containing a basically negative Grundschrift of early date rewritten some two centuries later to present a favourable view of the principals; and that of J. Van Seters, for whom it is a late post-exilic composition, informed by an anti-messianic ideology and inserted into the Deuteronomistic History to present a decidedly negative view of David and Solomon. This article concludes that the Succession Narrative is a homogeneous and coherent text and that it is in no sense an indictment of David, Solomon, and monarchy in general. |
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| ISSN: | 1476-6728 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the Old Testament
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/0309089213492811 |