Berit Olam: Judges

The biblical book of Judges contains culturally familiar stories such as that of Samson and Delilah and Deborah and Baraq. But despite the popularity of these stories, other important stories in Judges such as that of Achsah, the raped pilegesh, and the final civil war are virtually unknown to the average reader. Approaching Judges as a unified literary document, Tammi Schneider shows that the unity of the narrative reveals that when the Israelites adhere to the covenant established with their deity they prosper, but when they stray from it disaster follows. This is true not only in the Deuteronomistic refrains, as is recognized by many scholars, but in the whole book, and is reflected in Israel's worsening situation throughout its narrative time. Schneider also highlights the unifying themes in Judges. She emphasizes the role of gender, family relations, and theology expressed in the biblical narrative, and uses intertextuality to better understand the text of Judges and its context in the Deuteronomistic history and the Hebrew Bible. Tammi J. Schneider is assistant professor in the religion department at Claremont Graduate University, in Claremont, California. She received her BA in Hebrew language and literature from the University of Minnesota, and a PhD in ancient history from the University of Pennsylvania. She has excavated at a number of archaeological sites in Israel and is co-director of the excavation of Tel el-Fara' South in Israel. She is project director at the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity in Claremont and area editor for Ancient Near East for Religious Studies Review. Her publications cover topics in Assyriology, ancient Near Eastern history, archaeology, and biblical studies. Judges contains stories about such characters as Samson and Delilah, and Deborah and Baraq, which have become popular both in literature and Hollywood. However, other characters such as Achsah and Jephthah's daughter and the story about the final civil war are virtually unknown to the average reader. Approaching Judges as a unified literary document, this commentary shows that when the Israelites adhere to the covenant established with their deity they prosper, but that when they stray from it disaster follows. This is true not only in the Deuteronomistic refrains, as is recognized by many scholars, but in the whole book, and is reflected in Israel's worsening situation throughout its narrative time This commentary views the Song of Songs as a collection of love poems that pays tribute to mutual love, and it carefully examines features of Hebrew poetry in order to uncover the delicacy of their expression. It is unique in the attention that it gives to the obvious feminine perspective of the poems and to their ecosensitive character. Whether it is the woman in awe of the strength and splendor of her lover or the man praising her physical charms, the descriptions all call on elements from the natural world to characterize the feature being described. Judges Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Setting the Stage Chapter 2: A Look Back and a Look Ahead Chapter 3: Final Bridge to the New Generation Chapter 4: Ehud Chapter 5: Deborah Chapter 6: The Poem of Deborah Chapter 7: Gideon/Jerubbaal Chapter 8: Abimelech Chapter 9: Some Minor Judges Chapter 10: Jephthah Chapter 11: More Minor Judges Chapter 12: Samson Chapter 13: The Danite Migration Chapter 14: The Raped Pileges Chapter 15: Civil War Conclusions For Further Reading Subject Index Index of Biblical References This commentary, because of the methodology employed by its author, should be relevant to anyone interested in the Hebrew Bible and its theology, as well as gender analysis, the role of women and of the family in antiquity and in literature The opening chapters of Judges introduce the themes of the book and are the starting point for the major trends, sub-themes, and language plays used throughout the text. A Michael Glazier Book. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 291-298) And Indexes.