READING DAVID IN GENESIS

1
READING DAVID IN GENESIS
The political agenda of the Pentateuch
2
READING DAVID IN GENESIS
The political agenda of the Pentateuch
Great literature that deals with historical
events can also reflect a contemporary
political agenda This has been a phenomenon thr
oughout historypolitics
3
READING DAVID IN GENESIS
The political agenda of the Pentateuch
Great literature that deals with historical
events can also reflect a contemporary
political agenda This has been a phenomenon thr
oughout history What is the content and critiqu
e of each example?Roman politics
4
READING DAVID IN GENESIS
The political agenda of the Pentateuch
Great literature that deals with historical
events can also reflect a contemporary
political agenda This has been a phenomenon thr
oughout history What is the content and critiqu
e of each example? 1. The Book of Daniel
Content Babylonian exile Critique
Hellenistic politicspolitics
5
READING DAVID IN GENESIS
The political agenda of the Pentateuch
Great literature that deals with historical
events can also reflect a contemporary
political agenda This has been a phenomenon thr
oughout history What is the content and critiqu
e of each example? 1. The Book of Daniel
Content Babylonian exile Critique
Hellenistic politicsRoman politics
6
READING DAVID IN GENESIS
The political agenda of the Pentateuch
Great literature that deals with historical
events can also reflect a contemporary
political agenda This has been a phenomenon thr
oughout history What is the content and critiqu
e of each example? 1. The Book of Daniel
Content Babylonian exile Critique
Hellenistic politics 2. The Book of Revelation
Content Future Apocalypse Critique Roman
politics
7
READING DAVID IN GENESIS
The political agenda of the Pentateuch
Great literature that deals with historical
events can also reflect a contemporary
political agenda This has been a phenomenon thr
oughout history What is the content and critiqu
e of each example? 1. The Book of Daniel
Content Babylonian exile Critique
Hellenistic politics 2. The Book of Revelation
Content Future Apocalypse Critique Roman
politics
8
READING DAVID IN GENESIS
The political agenda of the Pentateuch
Great literature that deals with historical
events can also reflect a contemporary
political agenda This has been a phenomenon thr
oughout history What is the content and critiqu
e of each example? 1. The Book of Daniel
Content Babylonian exile Critique
Hellenistic politics 2. The Book of Revelation
Content Future Apocalypse Critique Roman
politics 3. Shakespeares Richard II Content
14th cent. Royalty Critique 17th cent. Royalty
9
READING DAVID IN GENESIS
The political agenda of the Pentateuch
Great literature that deals with historical
events can also reflect a contemporary
political agenda This has been a phenomenon thr
oughout history What is the content and critiqu
e of each example? 1. The Book of Daniel
Content Babylonian exile Critique
Hellenistic politics 2. The Book of Revelation
Content Future Apocalypse Critique Roman
politics 3. Shakespeares Richard II Content
14th cent. Royalty Critique 17th cent. Royalty
10
READING DAVID IN GENESIS
The political agenda of the Pentateuch

• Great literature that deals with historical
  events can also reflect a contemporary
  political agenda
  
• This has been a phenomenon throughout history
• What is the content and critique of each
  example? 1. The Book of Daniel Content
  Babylonian exile Critique Hellenistic politics
  
• 2. The Book of Revelation Content Future
  Apocalypse Critique Roman politics
  
• 3. Shakespeares Richard II Content 14th
  cent. Royalty Critique 17th cent. Royalty
  
• 4. Arthur Millers The Crucible Content 17th
  cent. Witch trials Critique 1950s McCarthyism

11
READING DAVID IN GENESIS
The political agenda of the Pentateuch

• Great literature that deals with historical
  events can also reflect a contemporary
  political agenda
  
• This has been a phenomenon throughout history
• What is the content and critique of each
  example? 1. The Book of Daniel Content
  Babylonian exile Critique Hellenistic politics
  
• 2. The Book of Revelation Content Future
  Apocalypse Critique Roman politics
  
• 3. Shakespeares Richard II Content 14th
  cent. Royalty Critique 17th cent. Royalty
  
• 4. Arthur Millers The Crucible Content 17th
  cent. witch trials Critique 1950s McCarthyism

12
READING DAVID IN GENESIS
The political agenda of the Pentateuch

• Great literature that deals with historical
  events can also reflect a contemporary
  political agenda
  
• This has been a phenomenon throughout history
• What is the content and critique of each
  example? 1. The Book of Daniel Content
  Babylonian exile Critique Hellenistic politics
  
• 2. The Book of Revelation Content Future
  Apocalypse Critique Roman politics
  
• 3. Shakespeares Richard II Content 14th
  cent. Royalty Critique 17th cent. Royalty
  
• 4. Arthur Millers The Crucible Content 17th
  cent. witch trials Critique 1950s McCarthyism
  
• 5. Television/Film MASH Content 1950s
  Korea Critique 1970s Vietnam

13
READING DAVID IN GENESIS
The political agenda of the Pentateuch

• Great literature that deals with historical
  events can also reflect a contemporary
  political agenda
  
• This has been a phenomenon throughout history
• What is the content and critique of each
  example? 1. The Book of Daniel Content
  Babylonian exile Critique Hellenistic politics
  
• 2. The Book of Revelation Content Future
  Apocalypse Critique Roman politics
  
• 3. Shakespeares Richard II Content 14th
  cent. Royalty Critique 17th cent. Royalty
  
• 4. Arthur Millers The Crucible Content 17th
  cent. witch trials Critique 1950s McCarthyism
  
• 5. Television/Film MASH Content 1950s
  Korea Critique 1970s Vietnam

14
READING DAVID IN GENESIS
The political agenda of the Pentateuch

• These texts have impact because they are based
  on historical accounts
  
• Individuals such as Abraham, Joseph and Moses
  likely existed in history
  
• However, their literary representation likely
  does not reflect their actual lives

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Abrahamic Covenant
Gen. 174 As for me, this is my covenant with
you You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of
nations. 5 No longer shall your name be Abram,
but your name shall be Abraham for I have made
you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 6 I
will make you exceedingly fruitful and I will
make nations of you, and kings shall come from
you. 7 I will establish my covenant between me
and you, and your offspring after you throughout
their generations, for an everlasting covenant,
to be God to you and to your offspring after you.
8 And I will give to you, and to your offspring
after you, the land where you are now an alien,
all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding
and I will be their God.
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River in Eden - Paradise
Gen. 210 A river flows out of Eden to water
the garden, and from there it divides and becomes
four branches. 11 The name of the first is
Pishon it is the one that flows around the whole
land of Havilah, where there is gold 12 and the
gold of that land is good bdellium and onyx
stone are there. 13 The name of the second river
is Gihon it is the one that flows around the
whole land of Cush.
Remember the Noah story? Who was Cush?
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River in Eden - Paradise
Gen. 210 A river flows out of Eden to water
the garden, and from there it divides and becomes
four branches. 11 The name of the first is
Pishon it is the one that flows around the whole
land of Havilah, where there is gold 12 and the
gold of that land is good bdellium and onyx
stone are there. 13 The name of the second river
is Gihon it is the one that flows around the
whole land of Cush.
1Kings 132 King David said, Summon to me the
priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah son
of Jehoiada. When they came before the king, 33
the king said to them, Take with you the
servants of your lord, and have my son Solomon
ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon.
34 There let the priest Zadok and the prophet
Nathan anoint him king over Israel then blow the
trumpet, and say, Long live King Solomon!
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Abrahamic Covenant
Gen. 1518 On that day the LORD made a covenant
with Abram, saying, To your descendants I give
this land, from the river of Egypt to the great
river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the
Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the
Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the
Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and
the Jebusites.
1Kings 421 Solomon was sovereign over all the
kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the
Philistines, even to the border of Egypt they
brought tribute and served Solomon all the days
of his life.
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Abrahams nephew Lots Posterity
Gen. 1935 So they made their father drink wine
that night also and the younger rose, and lay
with him and he did not know when she lay down
or when she rose. 36 Thus both the daughters of
Lot became pregnant by their father. 37 The
firstborn bore a son, and named him Moab he is
the ancestor of the Moabites to this day. 38 The
younger also bore a son and named him Ben-ammi
he is the ancestor of the Ammonites to this day.
Abrahams son Israels Posterity
Gen. 366 Then Esau took his wives, his sons,
his daughters, and all the members of his
household, his cattle, all his livestock, and all
the property he had acquired in the land of
Canaan and he moved to a land some distance from
his brother Jacob. 8 So Esau settled in the
hill country of Seir name changed to Edom Esau
is Edom.
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Abraham pays tithe to Melchizedek
Gen. 1418 And King Melchizedek of Salem brought
out bread and wine he was priest of God Most
High. 19 He blessed him and said, Blessed b
e Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and
earth 20 and blessed be God Most High, who
has delivered your enemies into your hand!
And Abram gave him one tenth of everything.
1Kings 134 There let the priest Zadok and the
prophet Nathan anoint him king over Israel then
blow the trumpet, and say, Long live King
Solomon! 38 So the priest Zadok, the prophet
Nathan, went down and had Solomon ride on King
Davids mule, and led him to Gihon. 39 There the
priest Zadok took the horn of oil from the tent
and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet,
and all the people said, Long live King Solomon!
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The Binding (Sacrifice) of Isaac
Gen. 222 He said, Take your son, your only son
Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of
Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering
on one of the mountains that I shall show you.
2Chr. 31 Solomon began to build the house of
the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the
LORD had appeared to his father David, at the
place that David had designated, on the threshing
floor of Ornan (Araunah) the Jebusite.
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Right of Primogeniture Ignored
Gen. 4813 Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his
right hand toward Israels left, and Manasseh in
his left hand toward Israels right, and brought
them near him. 14 But Israel stretched out his
right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim,
who was the younger, and his left hand on the
head of Manasseh, crossing his hands, for
Manasseh was the firstborn. 17 When Joseph sa
w that his father laid his right hand on the head
of Ephraim, it displeased him so he took his
fathers hand, to remove it from Ephraims head
to Manassehs head. 20 So he blessed them that d
ay, saying, By you Israel will invoke blessin
gs, saying, God make you like Ephraim and like
Manasseh. So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasse
h.
One of many examples
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Judah sleeps with daughter-in-law, Tamar
Gen 3815 When Judah saw her, he thought her to
be a prostitute, for she had covered her face. 16
He went over to her at the road side, and said,
Come, let me come in to you, for he did not
know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said,
What will you give me, that you may come in to
me? 17 He answered, I will send you a kid from
the flock. And she said, Only if you give me a
pledge, until you send it. 18 He said, What
pledge shall I give you? She replied, Your
signet and your cord, and the staff that is in
your hand. So he gave them to her, and went in
to her, and she conceived by him.
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READING DAVID IN GENESIS
The political agenda of the Pentateuch

• In many ways of the world of Genesis mirrors
  the personal and political situation of David and
  Solomon

• New political entity created with large borders
• Made Jerusalem, a city with no ties to tradition,
  the capital
  
• Sacrifice, once permitted throughout the land,
  now limited
  
• Foreigner was made head of the temple cult
  established there
  
• David succeeded by his youngest and not oldest son

• What is ostensibly a narrative about the
  Patriarchs can also reflect the world of the
  author (J)