The transition from a tribal society under the leadership of elders and eventually charismatic "judges" to a nation under a monarch is traced through the books of Judges and 1 and 2 Samuel. Early stories of local heroes are woven together into a larger history that conforms to the exilic perspectives of the Deuteronomistic School. An extended look at representations of Saul and David (including God's covenant with David) reveal historical shifts and some ambivalence about monarchy and the ideal form of leadership.

Reading assignment:

Bible: (1) Introduction to Samuel (JSB pp. 558-61), 1 Sam, 2 Sam (2) Introduction to Kings (JSB pp. 668-71), 1 Kgs 3, 11-12, 16:29-19:21, 21-22; 2 Kgs 8:25-10:36, 17-25 (3) "Historical and Geographical Background to the Bible" (JSB pp. 2052-2055)

Sternberg, Meir. The Poetics of Biblical Narrative. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1985. pp. 186-222

Optional: Levinson, Deirdre. "The Psychopathology of King Saul." In Out of the Garden: Women Writers on the Bible, eds., Christina Buchmann and Celina Spiegel. New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1994. pp. 123-141

Ozick, Cynthia. "Hannah and Elkanah: Torah as the Matrix for Feminism." In Out of the Garden: Women Writers on the Bible, eds., Christina Buchmann and Celina Spiegel. New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1994. pp. 88-93