Sex Scandal and the Politics of David’s Throne
This essay examines the literary and compositional inclusion of the story of David and Bathsheba in 2 Sam 11-12, in the stretch of narrative concerning David’s court in 2 Samuel, particularly in light of current debates surrounding the so-called Succession Narrative. I argue that the sex-and-murder...
| 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: |
Scholar's Press
2022
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| In: |
Journal of Biblical literature
Year: 2022, Volume: 141, Issue: 1, Pages: 83-104 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Bible. Samuel 2. 11-12
/ Sexual crime
/ Politics
/ David, Israel, König
/ Bathsheba
/ Murder
/ Scandal
/ Legitimation
/ Royal house
/ Arendt, Hannah 1906-1975
/ Corruption
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| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This essay examines the literary and compositional inclusion of the story of David and Bathsheba in 2 Sam 11-12, in the stretch of narrative concerning David’s court in 2 Samuel, particularly in light of current debates surrounding the so-called Succession Narrative. I argue that the sex-and-murder scandal of 2 Sam 11-12 functions within a Judahite ideology of kingship to legitimize and strengthen the power of the Davidic dynasty and was inserted in rejection of northern notions of a monarchy legitimized through popular support and agency. Drawing on the work of Hannah Arendt and recent studies on sex scandals in politics, I highlight three ways in which the insertion of the scandal in 2 Sam 11-12 is an effective way of transforming the monarchic ideology of 2 Sam 13-20 and casting the narrative favorably for the Davidic kings: the location of the transgression in an incontestable space, analogous to Arendt’s notion of the private realm; the salaciousness of the narrative effecting enjoyment in the audience; and the distinction between scandal and corruption, where David’s transgression is a single aberration, compared to the northern kingdom portrayed as systemically corrupt. |
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| ISSN: | 1934-3876 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of Biblical literature
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