Poor Saul has been judged harshly. He had massive issues to deal with. The Philistines held a major dominance in the land and he had to deal with that. On top of that he was the first king in a land with no administration and not even a proper army. His people were poorly equipped, as iron…
Month: November 2012
Samuel and Saul: A Negative Symbiosis
This article by Moshe Reiss challenges the orthodox view that would consider Samuel an upright man beyond reproach and Saul as a failure of a king. Saul’s faults? It asks some interesting questions that are worth considering: What command did Saul break when he sacrificed before the Lord in chapter 13? David and Solomon both…
Thoughts on “Samson: A Tragedy in Three Acts” by Shimon Bakon
Article available here Things that were new to me: There is mention of God moving Samson in his early life and one has to consider how it was that he became a judge, so perhaps he had a golden age that the Bible doesn’t mention. “and the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him…
Review of “Gideon and the Ephraimites” by Josiah Derby
Link to article I found this very interesting article on Google. It highlighted a very interesting point I had not noted when I read the passage on Gideon (Judges 6 – 8). In Judges, Chapter 8 we read “Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when…
The Judges: an overview
Judge: Othniel Tribe: Judah Ref: 3:7 – 11 Oppressor: Aram Naharaim Years of oppression: 8 Years of peace: 40 Judge: Ehud Tribe: Benjamin Ref: 3:12 – 30 Oppressor: Moab, Amalek, Ammon Years of oppression: 18 Years of peace: 80 Judge: Deborah/ Barak Tribe: Naphtali Ref: Chs 4,5 Oppressor: Jabin/ Canaan Years of oppression: 20 Years of…
Order and Creation in the Ancient Near East
The three great influences on the Hebrew Bible are Canaan, Egypt and Babylon. Each of these had well developed beliefs about the gods, creation and order in the cosmos. In the Ancient Near East they had no concept of nothingness before creation. For them the opposite of an ordered creation was total disorder often cast…
What is Redaktionsgeschichte by Robert Stein
This article looks at defining Redaktionsgeschichte. It compares it with form criticism. Form criticism is interested in analyzing each supposed source that makes up the gospel. Analysing the tree instead of the forest. If the gospel writers only copied sources and put these together without much thought or editing then this may be enough. However,…
The importance of the Exodus to Israel
The importance of the Exodus to Israel and the revelation of God as a Father This essay explains and elucidates the following statement: ‘The Exodus is such a significant event in Israel’s history, that it serves as more than just an account of the wandering in the desert. It is a paradigm, a pattern of…