From Anxiety to Reverence: Fear of God’s Retribution and Violence in the Book of Samuel
This article examines the portrayal of fear of Yahweh’s violence in selected texts in the book of Samuel: 1 Sam 12; and 1 Sam 6:19-7:1 and 2 Sam 6; the former mitigating fear and the latter texts acknowledging it. Drawing on Gruber’s distinction between fear, reverence and anxiety, it will be demons...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
2021
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| In: |
Die Welt des Orients
Year: 2021, Volume: 51, Issue: 1, Pages: 84-99 |
| RelBib Classification: | BC Ancient Orient; religion HB Old Testament NBC Doctrine of God |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This article examines the portrayal of fear of Yahweh’s violence in selected texts in the book of Samuel: 1 Sam 12; and 1 Sam 6:19-7:1 and 2 Sam 6; the former mitigating fear and the latter texts acknowledging it. Drawing on Gruber’s distinction between fear, reverence and anxiety, it will be demonstrated that whist retribution prompts fear and reverence, it removes anxiety. Parallels with other ancient near eastern texts show that a belief in God’s retribution is not the only means of allaying fear, but it is one which is important in a monotheistic/ monolatrous system. Whilst a story of terror of Yahweh remains in the text in 2 Sam 6, and another similar story in 1 Sam 6:19, there is evidence that other traditions deliberately mitigate this fear by incorporating retributive theology into the presentation and characterization of Yahweh in parallel stories. |
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| ISSN: | 2196-9019 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Die Welt des Orients
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.13109/wdor.2021.51.1.84 |