Hidden Polemics in Biblical Narrative

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BRILL, Jan 1, 2000 - Religion - 286 pages
In current usage polemics is broadly defined as the practice of rhetorical persuasion or as the rhetorical presentation of an argument in dispute. The phenomenon of polemics is found throughout the whole corpus of biblical literature. In most instances the polemics is direct, but sometimes indirect, and occasionally it appears to be deliberately covert. This book is primarily concerned with exploring the phenomenon of covert polemics. Dealing first with considerations of method, definition and characterization, the study moves on to the analysis of a number of narrative texts and the uncovering of their covert polemical content. Polemics of this type is a feature of biblical writing on a range of central issues, and can be instructively isolated in texts relating to cultic locations (Beth El, Jerusalem), questions of leadership (the houses of Saul and David), community boundaries (the Samaritans) and other problems of legitimation.

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Contents

Explicit and Implicit Polemics
45
25
59
41
66
56
73
Introduction
93
The Cultic Center of Dan and Bochim
99
Is Jerusalem Also an Issue for Polemic?
130
Criticism of Sauls Kingdom A Formula
169
The Hidden Polemic over Those Who
189
119
200
Introduction
221
The Test in the Frame Story of Job
241
Epilogue
250
128
262
Index
271
Copyright

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About the author (2000)

Yairah Amit, Ph.D. (1985) in Biblical Studies, Tel-Aviv University, is Senior Lecturer in Bible, Chair of the Bible Department, Tel-Aviv University and head of that University's teachers training program in Bible. Among her many publications is "The Book of Judges: The Art of Editing" (Jerusalem, 1992).

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