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Baruch Halpern argues in his 2001 biography of David, David\u2019s Secret Demons <\/i> , that David was the first individualist, the first modern man. Part of his evidence is that David so often violates conventions in surprising ways. He offers David\u2019s battle with Goliath as an example. Contrary to the popular presentation, David is not an underdog in his fight with Goliath, since he uses surprise tactics and attacks from \u201coutside the ring.\u201d He concedes that \u201cDavid WOULD be the underdog, had he accepted combat on traditional terms,\u201d but goes on to say that David uses \u201cthe element of surprise, the ruse\u201d as a method for \u201cleveraging skills into victory.\u201d Halpern points to Mark Twain\u2019s views, as expressed in the Connecticut Yankee, that \u201cDavid is modern man, rejecting the mindless, medieval ritualized combat of the PHilistines: the fates of nations cannot depend on single combat, but the fates of nations are too important to scruple about the rules of sport. Combat is not a matter of personal honor, but of national destiny.\u201d Further, \u201cDavid begins his career as a musician playing the lyre for Saul. In the Goliath episode, he moves on to reject the etiquette of social relations shared by all around him. This is the pattern that will persist throughout his history. He is not just Yahweh\u2019s elect: he is Yahweh\u2019s avenger. He is not just destined for greatness: he shapes his greatness by a complete disregard for orthodoxy.\u201d <\/p>\n
With Halpern\u2019s larger methodological and substantive theses, I have no sympathy whatever. He claims that 1-2 Samuel gives us a cleaned-up version of David\u2019s life, from which the skilled interpeter can extract the true story of a David whose agendais \u201csystematically to root out Saul\u2019s family.\u201d But on the unorthodoxy of David\u2019s fight with Goliath, Halpern is right on target. Contrary to the heroisms of the ancient world ?EANE and Greek ?Eone\u2019s goal in battle is victory, not personal glory and reputation. If glory and honor are at stake, they are Yahweh\u2019s. And this means that the \u201chonorable\u201d rules of ancient combat have no moral claim upon David or Israel\u2019s armies. <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Baruch Halpern argues in his 2001 biography of David, David\u2019s Secret Demons , that David was the first individualist, the first modern man. Part of his evidence is that David so often violates conventions in surprising ways. He offers David\u2019s battle with Goliath as an example. Contrary to the popular presentation, David is not an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3021,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible-ot-samuel"],"yoast_head":"\n