For Tuesday's class, please read/review I Samuel. Does this book seem to you to be best classified as history, prophecy, biography, tragedy, or something else entirely? Cite one passage/story in this book that you think particularly supports your view of this book.
Friday, February 17, 2012
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I would classify I Samuel as a tragedy. We discussed Plato's tragical elements in class and discussed how this book exhibits some of these elements. In skimming throught it again, there are many moments where I am reminded of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. It doesn't follow the plot exactly, but there are two passages that support this comparison. One of these is I Samuel 23:9, "And David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him..." In Julius Caesar, Brutus, Cassius, and Antony secretly plot to overthrow Caesar just as Saul is doing to David. Also, at the end, (I Samuel 31:4) "...Saul took a sword, and fell upon it" ending his own life as Brutus ends his.
ReplyDelete1 Samuel 8-9
ReplyDelete15 Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed this to Samuel: 16 “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked on my people, for their cry has reached me.”17 When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the LORD said to him, “This is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people." 1 Samuel 9:15-17
This story tells of Prophecy, God told Samuel what and who he was looking for, the people questioned Samuel about a king and God was able to tell Samuel that Saul was the one that deserved the right to be king. Also its another story in which God takes someone like Saul who is from the smallest tribe of Benjamin and use him for glory.
tom quigg
I would say that it cant be classified as just one thing so it would have to be something else all together. There are hints of tragedy with Saul's story and the Phillistines defeating the Israelites and stealing the ark of the covenant, but there is also some history and uplifting stories from this book as well.
ReplyDeleteIt is a history of the lives of David, Saul, and Samuel, but it also has some uplifting and inspirational stories. Most notably the one of David vs. Goliath. With a story as memorable and uplifting as this, I think it is hard to classify Samuel 1 as a tragedy or just history.
R. Casey Oberle
I see 1 Samuel as something else entirely because it talks about things that can be a tragic, also things that seems a prophecy but more so having/creating a relationship with god.
ReplyDeleteThe story that I cited for an example is the story of Abigail, and in her story it showed tragedy about how her husband Nabal died for his reckless/wrongful actions and also how it was a prophecy that she went to go see David and so David does not kill all Nabal and his man; and David letting God deal with it and then David taking Abigail for his wife after Nabal died because of her abilities and significance she can offer.
I see this book as something else entirely. It looks like it is a blend of all of these things. It is very tragic but there is history to be seen. History between two great kings of history, Saul and David, also serves as a tragic scene as Saul is jealous of David and seeks harm towards him.
ReplyDeleteI see it as both a history and a tragedy. For example, we get a lot of history on David. Obviously his life is full of tragedy as Saul tries to kill him and David's friendship with Jonathan is cut short. I guess I see it as a tragic history. -Zach Kuhlman
I see this book as a history. One example is I Samuel 8:1-3 "As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel. Joel and Abijah, his oldest sonds, held court in Beersheba. But they were not not like their father, for they were greedy fo money. The accepted bribes and perverted justice." This is just one example of how the books of Samuel show the history of Israel. It maps out what happened and why it happened.
ReplyDeleteI think that this book contains all of those things; history, prophecy, biography, and tragedy. So I would consider it as something else entirely because it isn't just one of the above. For example, in 1 Samuel 13:13-14 alone there is history, prophecy, and tragedy. "You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure: the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord's command."
ReplyDeleteTo put this book in any one of these categories is impossible for me. It encompasses all of these things. Of course the bible is an incredible historical document, but it is more than just a document, it is a collection of tales.
ReplyDeleteFor Example:
4: So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
5: And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.
6: And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp.
7: And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.
8: Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.
9: Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.
10: And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.
11: And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.
12: And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head.
13: And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out.
14: And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli.
15: Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see.
16: And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son?
17: And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.
18: And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.
19: And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her.
20: And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it.
21: And she named the child I-chabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.
22: And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.
The above story has elements of tragedy as well as historical documentation. Each line seems to be a recording. Almost a list of events. Within the list we find a tragedy (the lost ark of the covenant)
To me this book seems like a history and a prophecy. It is a history because I believe the things in this book that are described actually happened and it is telling the history of Israel. This is shown in 1 Samuel 4:1 "And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek."
ReplyDeleteThis book is also a prophecy. This is exemplified when Samuel tells the people what having a king will be like. Kings were awful and selfish back then and they continued to be all throughout history. Kings are dictators and when Samuel told his people that it was like a prophecy or warning for future people to heed.
Actually...the book of Samuel can be seen as all of the above. It is a biography because it is telling about the lives of certain individuals back then like Eli, Samuel, Saul, etc. 1 Samuel 9:1 "Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power."
Also, the book of Samuel is also a tragedy because there are a lot of sad things in it. It was tragic that Eli's sons turned out to be corrupt. It was also tragic that Samuel's sons didn't walk in his ways and were corrupt as well. They were the main reason the people wanted a king, which was ALSO tragic. That was tragic because they rejected God and didn't want him to reign over them. It was also tragic how Samuel kept trying to kill David because of his pure awesomeness..
So all in all, I guess Samuel has a little bit of history, biography, prophecy, and tragedy in it.