The Books of Samuel: Stories - History - Reception History

The Books of Samuel are an important source for the history of ancient

Israel and a treasure not only of Biblical literature, but of world

literature. They deal with the first kings of Israel and the history of

the 10th century BCE in Palestine, and they narrate of this time in an

outstandingly artful way. In addition they set standards in the Biblical

Jewish and Christian system of values, concerning the relationship between

men and God, nation and people, power and law, war and peace, man and

woman. The Books of Samuel have left their impact upon the arts over the

centuries so that their reception history is exceptionally rich. Both

early interpreters and modern scholars have discussed nearly every aspect

of them. This volume contains contributions of leading scholars in the

field as well as those of a new generation of exegetes. Questions are

raised concerning the value of the Books of Samuel as historical source,

the nature of their historical narrative, their literary composition,

their literary-historical growth, their textual development (in the

Masoretic text, in the Greek Septuagint, and in the writings of Qumran)

and their reception history (in novels, music and arts). The volume

embraces a wide range of approaches and methods and sheds light on a great

number of texts and themes. Thus it represents the current state of

inquiry and also raises new questions and views.