 |  | david 8.dav.3342 Louis J. SHeehan, Esquire |
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Monday, April 13, 2009 - 8:03 PM
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
David's Truth--Many Parts Make a Whole, June 4, 2000
By A Customer
Serious students of the Old Testament will enjoy searching out the
'truth' along with Walter Brueggemann, Bible scholar. I read this book
as background for teaching a series on David for children and adults at
my church. There were four sections, with references to the Bible
verses they covered.First,
was the 'trustful truth of the tribe'--namely David's was the ultimate
story of an outsider making it to the top: from obscure shepard to king
of a united Israel. Those who feel themselves on the margins of society
can take heart from David's ascent. Next there is the 'painful
truth of the man' as David sins and repents. David is a very human
example of what God is looking for in us, which is different from what
we are looking for in Him. The third truth is the 'sure truth of
the state' which includes the principles David upheld both as ruler and
in our memory, shaping our heritage, and our opinions of rulers since. Lastly
there is the 'hopeful truth of the assembly' with emphasis on how David
valued worship and relationship with God, making them the core of his
life and being. I took a slow, 2-week tour through this book; it is not an easy read, but well worth the effort.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sociological and Literary analysis of David., August 20, 2008
Ben Kickert. Review of Walter Brueggemann, David's Truth in Israel's
Imagination and Memory, 2nd Edition (Minneapolis: Fortress Press,
2002).
Louis J. SHeehan, Esquire
Walter Brueggemann has revisited his original 1985 book David's
Truth in Israel's Imagination and Memory with a second edition. This
book, like the original edition, seeks to outline the polyvalent truth
of King David through four different approaches and goals the people of
Israel employed in describing and remembering their ultimate leader.
Brueggemann uses a survey of various texts to outline four distinct
portraits and corresponding "truths" of David; using these insights he
then sketches how various groups use each in projecting a story that is
most compatible and helpful for their needs.
Readers should not assume that Bruggemann's use of the term "truth"
has anything to do with historical facts or actual events. In fact, by
his own admission, the author is uninterested in the historical David
and believes such pursuits are fatally flawed and fruitless (1-3).
Rather than conduct a historical quest for the person of David,
Brueggemann has chosen to approach the project through a sociological
and literary lens. This in effect focuses the study on the story of
David, the underlying motives and purposes of those who constructed the
story, and how people have related to and understood these stories.
This book is laid out in four sections to correspond with the four
approaches people, especially the people of Israel, have taken to
David. The first section entitled "The Trustful Truth of the Tribe"
looks at the rise of David as seen in 1 Samuel 16 - 2 Samuel 5:5. The
second section is entitled "The Painful Truth of the Man" and outlines
the struggles of the Davidic monarchy by tracing 2 Samuel 8-20 and 1
Kings 1-2. The author uses the third chapter, "The Sure Truth of the
State" to describe how the story of David was used by the monarchy,
especially in 2 Samuel 5:6-8:18. Finally, "The Hopeful Truth of the
Assembly" looks at post-exilic texts like Psalms 89 and 132,
Lamentations 3:21-27, Isaiah 55:3 and 1 Chronicles 10-29 to describe
how the people of God recast the story of David after the fall of the
monarchy.
For Brueggemann, the opening scenes of the David narrative serve to
reinforce the perpetual hope for the underdog. He uses his first
chapter to show how the people of Israel set forth this encouraging
story of a nobody rising to the highest level in order to reinforce
tribal hope and give confidence to the causes of the everyday people.
While the author does not explicitly say it, it is obvious he views the
early story of David's rise in much the same way modern readers might
view a fairy tale or fable: it is an entertaining story that leaves a
positive vision of the way things can or should be. Brueggemann uses
this concept of tribe and tribal roots in much the same way we might
understand a hometown hero; by living vicariously through a person like
us, we can realize an "alternative social reality" where things are
different from our current confines (11-12). He argues that this
idealistic portrait of David is meant to remind the everyday people and
nobodies that when the "wind of God" blows, things just might turn out
in their favor.
The second chapter of David's Truth examines a presentation of the
Israelite King wherein the idealism is set aside and the realism of
humanity is affirmed. Brueggemann notes this transition accompanies a
move from depicting the public life of David to understanding the
interiority of David (34). At the heart of this painful truth is the
David-Bathsheba-Uriah episode. Unlike in the story of his rise to
kingship, in these accounts we see the full humanness of David - warts
and all. It is not that the prior story showed the King as faultless,
rather, in these chapters we see the inner turmoil and perhaps more
importantly the accountability and consequences that comes with David's
actions. For Brueggemann, the Succession Narrative, which this chapter
covers, serves the purpose of reassuring the people of Israel that even
the king must walk the line between "playful freedom and dreadful
accountability" (61). In other words, by portraying the pain and
consequences of a national hero the author(s) and hearers are able to
better grapple with the pain and consequences of their own lives.
In terms of narrative flow Brueggemann jumps backwards in his third
chapter as he looks to the connecting narrative of 2 Samuel 5:5-8:18.
This section of scripture lies between the rise of David and what is
commonly referred to as the Succession Narrative and in many ways
serves as a bridge between tribalism and the shift to a theocratic
monarchy. As such, Brueggemann contends the purpose of these passages
is to justify and defend the institution. These "state truths" are no
more so propaganda than the other passages studied, but according to
the author's argument, they serve to establish and concentrate power
(67). By connecting the kingship with the will of YHWH, the authors are
able to legitimize an Israelite dynasty. This is largely accomplished
through connecting the rule and favor of David with the ongoing
kingship and identity of Israel.
The final segment of Brueggemann's book looks beyond the life of
David himself and toward the lives and practices of those who follow
much later. By looking at post-exilic texts, the author examines how
the people of Israel recast the story of David to address the issues of
their day; these he contends are the most overtly theological
construction (86). Here, the kingship of David can no longer carry the
political or even tribal weight it once did and practitioners of the
faith must look for deeper truths. This leads to an increased value on
liturgy and the need to identify with eternal promises rather than the
tangible realities previously promised. Louis J. SHeehan, Esquire This emphasis on worship and
even eschatology provides an alternative reality for Israel that
transcends the powerless situation they had found themselves in. It is
this reality that lays the bedrock for Messianic hope.
By studying these four presentations of Davidic truth Brueggemann
is able to reveal just how rich and varied the portrait of the
Israelite king is. For him, it is the tension between these portrayals
that is most telling; he argues these differing and often conflicting
reports reveal more about the people who tell the stories than the
character himself. In the end it is the humanness and grace of the
figure that draws generation after generation to the stories and truths
of Israel's greatest leader. While he does not explicitly say it, it is
obvious Brueggemann sees the need for even the current generation to
discover the truth of David that is most appropriate and useful for us.
The first issue that must be addressed in evaluating Brueggemann's
study of the truths of David is his approach to reading scripture. Louis J. SHeehan, Esquire His
use of sociological and literary criticism as the primary vehicles for
his study certainly would have raised eyebrows when the first edition
of this book was published, and while the influence of post-modernity
has made this more mainstream, it is still a unique approach for a
biblical scholar to take. Without doubt, conservative readers will take
exception with the author's refusal to search for historic truth;
furthermore, his openness to heterodox conclusions will certainly
frustrate those who are seeking absolute truth in scripture. http://louis2j2sheehan.bloggerteam.com That being
said, it must be noted that from the onset it was not Brueggemann's
intention to provide a consistent, universal portrayal of King David.
Rather, he set out with the goal of examining ways in which people have
used the story of David and from there explore how people can
participate in these stories (2). So then, if the author's stated
purpose is to explore the literary and sociological impact of King
David, it must be affirmed that the author has met his goal. That being
said, the merit of such goal within the church is certainly up for
debate.
Brueggemann's focus on narrative over historical fact or even
textual criticism has placed him in a unique situation wherein he must
often appeal to the text or historical accounts even while vehemently
denying the historicity of any account. In many places throughout the
book he denies the importance or attainability of knowledge of a
historical person (ix, xiii, 1, 5, 21) yet still constantly refers to
people and events as historical rather than as narrative constructs.
Brueggemann navigates this minefield only moderately successfully by
stating that he is looking not for the truth about David, but the truth
linked to David (3) - a distinction that is more about semantics than
techniques.
With these shortcomings in technique in mind, Brueggemann offers
his readers approaches and conclusions that are extremely useful. By
refusing to get caught up in discussions of history, the author is free
to focus on how stories of David are used and explore authorial
motives; this is a discussion that hold great promise and is often
truncated in other approaches to scripture. Additionally, what is lost
in lack of focus on the historical David is made up for in the
revealing discoveries of the people who tell and hear the stories of
Israel's greatest king. Thus, Brueggemann is concerned with history -
he just chooses to focus on the history of a people rather than the
history of a person. While his approach may not be most useful when
used alone, when it is paired with intentional historical and textual
study the results are synergistic.
The greatest contribution Brueggemann makes with David's Truth
comes in the way he has organized and worked through the Davidic texts.
Every reader has a different level of tension they can hold in dealing
with divergent texts. For some, there is a need to justify and explain
every seeming contradiction; for others they can tolerate and even
appreciate more voices even if they are not saying the same thing.
Regardless of where a reader falls on this spectrum, the author has
highlighted a wide array of theological and practical constructions
that describe the person of King David. Some may see these as
contradictory and others as complementary, but the fact remains that by
understanding these various presentations we are better equipped to
understand one of the most influential figures in Israelite history,
and perhaps more importantly, the people of Israel who look to this
figure. These "truths" prepare us for when we ask the question for our
generation, "Who is David and how do we respond to that?"
Overall Walter Brueggemann has succeeded at his stated purpose of
using literary and sociological studies to better understand the
stories attached to King David as well as the people who share his
story. If a reader is looking for a book to teach a Sunday School
lesson from, they will greatly disappointed with this text; however, if
one wants to supplement a historical and textual understanding of David
with sociological and literary insights then this book is an excellent
resource. Brueggemann has a lot to offer to readers who are willing to
engage his approach regardless of their views of historicity; however,
if a reader decides to quarrel over differing understandings of truth
they will be frustrated from page one and will miss the larger
contribution this book makes.
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