The Book of Samuel and Its Response to Monarchy

edited by Sara Kipfer

Book cover: The Book of Samuel and Its Response to Monarchy

Extent: 344 pages

Publisher: Kohlhammer Verlag

Subjects: Biblical Studies, Religious Studies

Series: Beiträge zur Wissenschaft vom Alten und Neuen Testament (BWANT)

Series volume number: 28

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(January 2021)

ISBN: 9783170370401

6.1 x 9.13 inches

Price: $99.00

In stock

Power and powerlessness comprise one of the key topics of the book of Samuel. This theme encompasses tribal contentions, power differentials between religious power (prophets, priests) and kings, fathers and sons, men and women. This volume assembles articles exhibiting a variety of methods and approaches, all of which explore Israel’s search for political identity and Samuel’s critique of monarchy, the book’s constructions of power, and the editors’ and early audiences’ postmonarchic reflections. Historical and social-scientific approaches to the book of Samuel find ancient Near Eastern parallels for the political organization of Israel and describe the social conditions produced under authoritarian regimes. Redactional approaches examine the diachronic development of Samuel’s varying perceptions of monarchy, from that institution’s inception through its entrenchment in Israelite and Judahite society, until it underwent a sudden, cataclysmic failure. Literary and theological approaches advocate for contemporary reconsideration and application of the book’s more noble principles. Contributions focus on these diverse political dimensions of the book, reflecting on the literary shape of Samuel and its response to monarchy.


Power and powerlessness comprise one of the key topics of the book of Samuel. This theme encompasses tribal contentions, power differentials between religious power (prophets, priests) and kings, fathers and sons, men and women. This volume assembles articles exhibiting a variety of methods and approaches, all of which explore Israel’s search for political identity and Samuel’s critique of monarchy, the book’s constructions of power, and the editors’ and early audiences’ postmonarchic reflections. Historical and social-scientific approaches to the book of Samuel find ancient Near Eastern parallels for the political organization of Israel and describe the social conditions produced under authoritarian regimes. Redactional approaches examine the diachronic development of Samuel’s varying perceptions of monarchy, from that institution’s inception through its entrenchment in Israelite and Judahite society, until it underwent a sudden, cataclysmic failure. Literary and theological approaches advocate for contemporary reconsideration and application of the book’s more noble principles. Contributions focus on these diverse political dimensions of the book, reflecting on the literary shape of Samuel and its response to monarchy.

  • Contributions by Walter Dietrich
  • Contributions by Thomas Naumann
  • Contributions by Sara Kipfer
  • Contributions by Mahri Leonard-Fleckmann
  • Contributions by Hulisani Ramantswana
  • Contributions by Ian D. Wilson
  • Contributions by Ilse Müllner
  • Contributions by Hannes Bezzel
  • Contributions by Benjamin J. M. Johnson
  • Contributions by David Firth
  • Contributions by Johannes Klein
  • Contributions by Jeremy Hutton
  • Contributions by Régine Hunziker-Rodewald
  • Edited by Sara Kipfer
  • Series edited by Walter Dietrich
  • Series edited by Ruth Scoralick
  • Series edited by Reinhard von Bendemann
  • Series edited by Marlis Gielen
  • Assisted by Régine Hunziker-Rodewald
  • Assisted by Jeremy Hutton
  • Assisted by Johannes Klein
  • Assisted by Thomas Naumann