Judges: Studies in Hebrew Narrative and Poetry Berit Olam Series

Thebiblical book of Judges contains culturally familiar stories such asthat of Samson and Delilah and Deborah and Baraq. But despite thepopularity of these stories, other important stories in Judges such asthat of Achsah, the raped pilegesh, and the final civil war arevirtually unknown to the average reader.

Approaching Judges as a unified literary document, Tammi Schneidershows that the unity of the narrative reveals that when the Israelitesadhere to the covenant established with their deity they prosper, butwhen they stray from it disaster follows. This is true not only in theDeuteronomistic refrains, as is recognized by many scholars, but in thewhole book, and is reflected in Israel s worsening situation throughoutits narrative time.

Schneider also highlights the unifying themes in Judges. Sheemphasizes the role of gender, family relations, and theology expressedin the biblical narrative, and uses intertextuality to betterunderstand the text of Judges and its context in the Deuteronomistichistory and the Hebrew Bible. This book is part of the series Berit Olam, Studies in Hebrew Narrative and Poetry, a multi-volumecommentary series that reflects the latest developments in a relativelynew method of biblical study: literary criticism.

The authorsapproach the books of the Hebrew Bible as literary works, recognizingthat the stories and poetry can be better appreciated if one isacquainted with the techniques whereby the ancient Hebrew authors toldstories and wrote poems, as well as the strategies that modern readersuse to understand them.

Author: Tammi J. Schneider Editor: David W. Cotter, O.S.B Format: 344 pages, hardcover Series: Berit Olam, Studies in Hebrew Narrative and Poetry Publisher: Liturgical Press (2000) ISBN: 9780814650509