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Tuesday, July 02, 2019

Samson the Demigod?

DR. NAPHTALI MESHEL: Samson the Demigod? (TheTorah.com).
Samson’s conception story may be read subversively as the result of a union between a divine being and a mortal woman, making Samson a demi-god with superhuman characteristics. At the same time, the text keeps open the more mundane possibility that his father is Manoah and his powers are simply a gift from God.
I was less skeptical about this proposal after I read this essay than when I started it.

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