Only Be Like the Philistine Priests! A Comparison of the Philistines' Offering in 1 Sam 6 and the Sacrificial Actions of Eli's House in 1 Sam 2-4
The biblical portrayal of the Philistines is largely negative. Their military exploits, depicted extensively in the books of Judges and 1 Samuel—coupled with their religion, unaccustomed to the Israelite cult—have led several commentators to label them a prototypical "other." To put it mem...
| 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: |
Brill
[2019]
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| In: |
Vetus Testamentum
Year: 2019, Volume: 69, Issue: 4/5, Pages: 702-721 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Bible. Samuel 1. 6
/ Bible. Samuel 1. 2-4
/ Philistines
/ Polytheism
/ Priest
/ Sacrifice (Religion)
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| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament |
| Further subjects: | B
Bible. Samuel 1. 6
B 1 Samuel B Elides B Bible. Samuel 1. 2-4 B Priest B Cult B non-Israelites B Sacrifice B Philistines B guilt offering |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The biblical portrayal of the Philistines is largely negative. Their military exploits, depicted extensively in the books of Judges and 1 Samuel—coupled with their religion, unaccustomed to the Israelite cult—have led several commentators to label them a prototypical "other." To put it memorably, the Philistines are what Israel should not be. I attempt to nuance somewhat this overtly negative characterization of the Philistines by focusing on one incident in 1 Sam 6: the Philistines' returning of the ark, accompanied with a peculiar offering of objects made of gold. I compare this ritual to the sacrificial actions of Eli's sons in 1 Sam 2-4 to argue that, at least in 1 Sam 6, and with respect to what lies at the heart of Israel's cult—the approach of the inscrutable and holy deity—the Israelites should be more like the Philistines. |
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| ISSN: | 1568-5330 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Vetus Testamentum
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15685330-12341382 |