Samson and the Liminal Hero in the Ancient Near EastA&C Black, 2006 M08 21 - 134 pages The primary problem that Mobley's book deals with is the odd character of Judges 13-16 and of its hero. Samson's special quality, noted by virtually all interpreters, is defined here as liminality. The liminal situation, which includes a movement away from society, the lack of social restraints, and the status of outsider, is a permanent condition for Samson. The secondary purpose of this book is to demonstrate the ways in which the Samson saga, which is often compared to the Greek Heracles tradition, makes use of ideas about wild men and warriors found in other biblical and Mesopotamian stories. |
Contents
Chapter 1 LOCATING SAMSON | 1 |
Chapter 2 FIELD AND HOUSE | 37 |
Chapter 3 AGITATION AND REST | 66 |
Chapter 4 MALE AND FEMALE | 85 |
Chapter 5 SAMSON LOCATED | 109 |
Bibliography | 116 |
| 125 | |
| 132 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Ackerman adventure Akkadian Ancient Israel Ancient Near East ancient Near Eastern animal Ashkelon Bartelmus battle battlefield beasts Bible biblical birth story Book of Judges Bynum characters Culture Hero cycle Danite David Delilah described divine warrior Enkidu Erra Esau Exum feral field figure final find first folklore Gaza George Gilgamesh Epic Greek Gunkel hair hairy Hebrew Herakles Heroes Love heroic traditions human Humbaba Ibid Ishmael Ishum Israelite Judg king lahmu Levi-Strauss liminal Literary Patterns literature Machinist male Manoah Marduk Margalith martial medieval wild Mesopotamian motif Myth nature Nazirite Niditch notes Old Testament Ovid’s Philistines poem restlessness Samson as Culture Samson Legends Samson narrative Samson Saga Samson’s Riddle Samuel Saul Saul’s sexual Shamhat Sibitti Siduri significant similar sleep society specific steppe strength Tablet texts themes Tigay Timnah Timnite Trickster University Press urban Uruk Utnapishtim verb wife wilderness woman women YHWH YHWH’s