The Biblical Saga Of King David

Download or read book The Biblical Saga of King David written by John Van Seters and published by Penn State Press. This book was released on 2009-06-23 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The biblical story of King David has been interpreted in many different ways, arising from the variety of methods used in and the intended objectives of the studies: Does the narrative contain insight into and information about the early history of the Judean monarchy, or is it merely a legendary tale about a distant past? Can we identify the story’s literary genre, it sociohistorical setting, and the intention of its author(s)? Is an appreciation for the wonderful literary qualities of the story compatible with a literary-critical investigation of the narrative’s compositional and text-critical history? Van Seters reviews past scholarship on the David story and in the course of doing so unravels the history of these questions and then presents an extended appraisal of the debate about the social and historical context of the biblical story. From this critical foundation, Van Seters proceeds to offering a detailed literary analysis of the story of David from his rise to power under Saul to his ultimate succession by Solomon.

Download or read book King David written by Jonathan Kirsch and published by Ballantine Books. This book was released on 2009-07-22 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David, King of the Jews, possessed every flaw and failing a mortal is capable of, yet men and women adored him and God showered him with many more blessings than he did Abraham or Moses. His sexual appetite and prowess were matched only by his violence, both on the battlefield and in the bedroom. A charismatic leader, exalted as "a man after God's own heart," he was also capable of deep cunning, deceit, and betrayal. Now, in King David: The Real Life of the Man Who Ruled Israel, bestselling author Jonathan Kirsch reveals this commanding individual in all his glory and fallibility. In a taut, dramatic narrative, Kirsch brings new depth and psychological complexity to the familiar events of David's life--his slaying of the giant Goliath and his swift challenge to the weak rule of Saul, the first Jewish king; his tragic relationship with Saul's son Jonathan, David's cherished friend (and possibly lover); his celebrated reign in Jerusalem, where his dynasty would hold sway for generations. Yet for all his greatness, David was also a man in thrall to his passions--a voracious lover who secured the favors of his beautiful mistress Bathsheba by secretly arranging the death of her innocent husband; a merciless warrior who triumphed through cruelty; a troubled father who failed to protect his daughter from rape and whose beloved son Absalom rose against him in armed insurrection. Weaving together biblical texts with centuries of interpretation and commentary, Jonathan Kirsch brings King David to life in these pages with extraordinary freshness, intimacy, and vividness of detail. At the center of this inspiring narrative stands a hero of flesh and blood--not the cartoon giant-slayer of sermons and Sunday school stories or the immaculate ruler of legend and art but a magnetic, disturbingly familiar man--a man as vibrant and compelling today as he has been for millennia.

Download or read book The Bark of the Bog Owl written by Jonathan Rogers and published by B&H Publishing Group. This book was released on 2004 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this fantasy/allegory, Rogers retells the life of biblical character King David.

Download or read book The Way of the Wilderking written by Jonathan Rogers and published by B&H Publishing Group. This book was released on 2006 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Aidan returns after three years away in Feechiefen Swamp to find--much to his dismay--that the only way to protect his country from the invading Pyrthens is to overthrow the tyrant King Darrow.

Download or read book King David written by Steven L. McKenzie and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2000 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David's story, writes McKenzie, "reads like a modern soap opera, with plenty of sex, violence, and struggles for power.""--BOOK JACKET.

Download or read book The Bible Unearthed written by Israel Finkelstein and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2002-03-06 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this groundbreaking work that sets apart fact and legend, authors Finkelstein and Silberman use significant archeological discoveries to provide historical information about biblical Israel and its neighbors. In this iconoclastic and provocative work, leading scholars Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman draw on recent archaeological research to present a dramatically revised portrait of ancient Israel and its neighbors. They argue that crucial evidence (or a telling lack of evidence) at digs in Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon suggests that many of the most famous stories in the Bible—the wanderings of the patriarchs, the Exodus from Egypt, Joshua’s conquest of Canaan, and David and Solomon’s vast empire—reflect the world of the later authors rather than actual historical facts. Challenging the fundamentalist readings of the scriptures and marshaling the latest archaeological evidence to support its new vision of ancient Israel, The Bible Unearthed offers a fascinating and controversial perspective on when and why the Bible was written and why it possesses such great spiritual and emotional power today.

Download or read book The David Story: A Translation with Commentary of 1 and 2 Samuel written by Robert Alter and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2009-10-21 with total page 452 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A masterpiece of contemporary Bible translation and commentary."—Los Angeles Times Book Review, Best Books of 1999 Acclaimed for its masterful new translation and insightful commentary, The David Story is a fresh, vivid rendition of one of the great works in Western literature. Robert Alter's brilliant translation gives us David, the beautiful, musical hero who slays Goliath and, through his struggles with Saul, advances to the kingship of Israel. But this David is also fully human: an ambitious, calculating man who navigates his life's course with a flawed moral vision. The consequences for him, his family, and his nation are tragic and bloody. Historical personage and full-blooded imagining, David is the creation of a literary artist comparable to the Shakespeare of the history plays.