Writing and Rewriting the Story of Solomon in Ancient IsraelAUTHOR: Isaac Kalimi, University of Mainz, Germany
DATE PUBLISHED: November 2018
AVAILABILITY: This ISBN is for an eBook version which is distributed on our behalf by a third party.
FORMAT: Adobe eBook Reader
ISBN: 9781108622813$ 100.00 USD
Solomon's image as a wise king and the founder of Jerusalem Temple has become a fixture of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic literature. Yet, there are essential differences between the portraits of Solomon that are presented in the Hebrew Bible. In this volume, Isaac Kalimi explores these differences, which reflect divergent historical contexts, theological and didactic concepts, stylistic and literary techniques, and compositional methods among the biblical historians. He highlights the uniqueness of each portrayal of Solomon - his character, birth, early life, ascension, and temple-building - through a close comparison of the early and late biblical historiographies. Whereas the authors of Samuel-Kings stay closely to their sources and offer an apology for Solomon's kingship, including its more questionable aspects, the Chronicler freely rewrites his sources in order to present the life of Solomon as he wished it to be. The volume will serve scholars and students seeking to understand biblical texts within their ancient Near Eastern contexts.
- Compares the ways that Solomon is portrayed in the Books of Samuel and Kings on the one hand, and in the Book of Chronicles on the other
- Evaluates the significance and limitations of the textual and archaeological materials that are available for reconstructing the period of Solomon
- Provides a sense of how each generation has its own historians and unique descriptions of a historical figure (in this case King Solomon)
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