| Popis: |
Many regard the last five chapters of the book of Judges (chs. 17-21) as problematic and out of place in the overall context of the book. Various theories have emerged to explain how the narratives in these chapters made their way into the book of Judges. The 1970s and 1980s saw a shift in the academic discipline of biblical studies toward synchronic or literary approaches to biblical interpretation. Although this literary tum has had a significant impact on the interpretation of Judges, questions regarding the place and function of chs. 17-21 still remain. Leveraging work from literary studies and hermeneutics, this dissertation re-examines Judges 17- 21 with the aim of uncovering the strategies of ending which are at work in these chapters. This dissertation identifies a number of strategies of ending in Judges 17-21 including the strategy of circularity, the strategy of completion and the strategy of entrapment. Moreover, the temporal configuration of Judges and particularly the nonlinear chronology which chapters 17-21 expose receive due attention. All of this offers fresh insights into the place and function of chs. 17-21 in the context of the whole book. |
