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English 222
Literature of the Bible
Wendy Furman-Adams
Versions of Heroism: Samson and Ruth |
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See, I am setting before you
today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if
you obey the
commandments of the Lord your God
that I am commanding you today; and the
curse, if you do not obey the commandments of
the Lord your God, but turn away from
the way that I am commanding you today, to
follow other gods that you have not known.
(Deteronomy 11.26 - 28)
The Period of the Judges (1200 - 1020 B.C.E.)
marks the 180 years between Israel's entry into
Canaan under Joshua and the establishment of the
monarchy under Saul, David, and Solomon. In
Hebrew Scripture, the books of Joshua and Judges
belong to the section known as Nevi'im ("The
Prophets"), and mark the beginning of the second
section of the Tanak (after Torah). The story of
Ruth is classified as one of the Kethuvim
("Writings"), but because it is set during the
period of the Judges, we will consider it at
this point. It also sets up a nice contrast in
narrative form and style to that of the story of
Samson.
The stories of Samuel, Saul, David, and
Solomon--which we will consider next in this
class-- appear in the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, 1
Kings, and 2 Chronicles. These books, too, are
part of what scholars have come to call the
Bible's "Deuteronomic History."
Questions from Harris (116 - 128; 215 - 19):
1. What is the Deuteronomists' Theory of
History? Where do we find this view of history
expressed and what aspect of history does it
tend to emphasize?
2. Why did the original Deuteronomic view need
to be revised during the Babylonian Exile
(587 - 538 B.C.E)?
3. What are the seven main events in
Deuteronomic History? Where do Samson and Ruth
fit into this history?
4. Who were "the judges"?
5. What are some unusual elements about the
story of Samson?
6. What were the Megillot , or Festival Scrolls?
7. What is unique about the book of Ruth?
8. When was it read? (With what festival was it
associated? Why do you think that association
might have been deemed appropriate?)
9. How does its setting and message differ from
other tales set in the period of the Judges?
10. How is Ruth a "redemption" story?
The Texts Themselves:
Judges 13 - 16
(Also see the Introduction on p. 296 of your
Bibles)
1. How does the narrative of Samson begin
(13.1)? How is this opening to the story
significant, do you think?
2. Who are Samson's parents and what signs
precede their son's birth? (Keep this narrative
in mind, as you read the narratives of the
births of Samuel, John the Baptist, and Jesus.
Any echoes of earlier births?)
3. Characterize Samson's parents. What do they
seem to be like -- corporately and individually?
4. What is a Nazirite?
5. After reading chapter 13, what kind of
history would you predict for Samson?
6. How does his career in fact begin?
7. Who are the Philistines? (By the way, what
has the word come to mean in modern usage?)
8. What happens when the Spirit of the Lord
comes upon Samson? Does this phenomenon seem to
be connected in any way to Samson's character?
9. What are the three "movements" in Samson's
career? What do they have in common? How do they
differ? What do they suggesst about Samson's
development as a character?
10. How is the story told? What literary devices
does the teller use to heighten the effect of
his tale?
11. What effect, finally, does the tale have?
What kind of a hero is Samson? What seems to be
the author's view of the time in which he
"judges Israel"?
12. Read Judges 21.25 (the last verse of the
book). How does this line (actually repeated at
intervals throughout Judges) comment upon the
story you have read?
13. The story of Samson has been rendered
repeatedly in art as well as in literature (Milton's
Samson Agonsites) and music (by Handel and
others). What do you suppose later artists have
found compelling in the story?
Ruth
1. How has the book of Ruth been classified, and
what might have motivated its composition and
inclusion in the biblical canon?
2. What are the events leading up to Ruth's
coming to Bethlehem?
3. Characterize the three women: Naomi, Orpah,
and Ruth? What is the significance of Ruth's
decision to follow Naomi?
4. Notice the poems of Ruth and Naomi: what do
you notice about their form and content?
5. What is gleaning? How does the system work?
6. What kind of a man does Boaz seem to be?
7. What is the role of coincidence in the story?
8. What "really" occurs on the threshing floor?
What is Ruth's motive?
9. How do things turn out?
10. What is the effect of the story? What are we
to carry away? |
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