The Invention of Monotheist Ethics

Exploring the Second Book of Samuel

By (author) Hillel I. Millgram

Publication date:

04 December 2009

Length of book:

360 pages

Publisher

University Press of America

Dimensions:

257x181mm
7x10"

ISBN-13: 9780761849247

The Invention of Monotheist Ethics, Volume I presents a comprehensive analysis of the Biblical Book of Samuel. Usually taken to be a socio-political history of ancient Israel during a turbulent century of change, The Invention of Monotheist Ethics contends that beneath this surface level the true focus of Samuel is a profound appraisal of power, its seductive appeal and its drastic limitations. Thus Samuel emerges as a radical critique of our power-based world, and the way we, its inhabitants, order our lives. Taken together with the contention that the Book of Samuel was written by a woman, the Biblical book emerges as a woman's critique of a man's world. This assessment concludes by proposing an alternative to the world we know: a world based on care and concern. Relying on recent sociological studies, this work explores the ramifications of an ethic based on care rather than justice.

Chapter 1 ACT FOUR: DAVID THE GREAT
Chapter 2 19. The Paths of Glory: The Curtain Rises
Chapter 3 20. The Paths of Glory: Brother Against Brother
Chapter 4 21. The Paths of Glory: The Making of a King
Chapter 5 22. The Paths of Glory: David Triumphant
Chapter 6 23. Reaching for Something Higher - Excursus VII: The Tent Shrine
Chapter 7 24. To Build A House for God
Chapter 8 25. The Course of Empire - Excursus VIII: David's War Machine
Chapter 9 26. Interlude: Keeping Faith With Them That Sleep in the Dust
Chapter 10 27. The Course of Empire II: The Loosing of the Blood-Dimmed Tide
Chapter 11 ACT FIVE: THE FALL OF THE KING
Chapter 12 28. The Bathsheba Affair
Chapter 13 29. Before the Bar of Justice
Chapter 14 30. Rape and Revenge
Chapter 15 31. The Fugitive's Return
Chapter 16 32. The Man Who Would Be King
Chapter 17 33. The Day of the Mercenaries
Chapter 18 34. The Return of the King: Planting the Seeds
Chapter 19 35. The Return of the King: Reaping Bitter Fruit
Chapter 20 EPILOGUE: The Alternative Vision
Chapter 21 36. The Martyrdom of the House of Saul
Chapter 22 37. The Sweet Singer of Israel
Chapter 23 38. The Sweet Singer of Israel: Twenty Years Later
Chapter 24 39. David's Heroes: The Halls of Fame
Chapter 25 40. The Ancient Sacrifice
Chapter 26 CONCLUSIONS
Chapter 27 Toward a New Conception of Morality
Chapter 28 Postscript: The Death of the King
Chapter 29 APPENDIX 1: Psalm 34
Chapter 30 APPENDIX 2: Psalm 51
Chapter 31 APPENDIX 3: Who's Who in Samuel: A Listing of the Cast
Chapter 32 APPENDIX 4: Timeline - Keeping Track of When it Happened
Chapter 33 APPENDIX 5: Timeline - Putting Things in Perspective
Chapter 34 Glossary of Terms and Place Names
Chapter 35 Selected Bibliography
Chapter 36 Index of Scriptural References
Chapter 37 General Index
Chapter 38 About the Author

[Millgram]?wonderfully integrates an explanation of the relevant historical background of the book and includes an analysis of the concepts necessary for a deep understanding of the text. The author also deliberates?the literary, historical and religioussignificance of Samuel?giv[ing] no little attention to the linguistic and textual problems in order to explain words, expressions and difficult concepts whose significance requires elucidation, comparing the text we have with those that exist in ancienttranslations of the Bible (the Septuagint, the Vulgate) or by examining the medieval Jewish commentaries and modern non-Jewish expositors. A unique work that every reader?will enjoy reading immensely, and?will learn much from it about this literary creation in particular, and about the Bible in general.