King Saul's Asking - (Interfaces) by Barbara Green (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Who should lead us? Who should we, as a community, look to for guidance? These questions, as old as humankind, followed the Israelite community upon their return from the Exile: Should they return with Davidic kingship or without it? Their answer was King Saul. Reading Israel's first king as a riddle or the epitome of Israel's experience with kingship, King Saul's Asking explores the characterization of the figure Saul, the question of the apparent silence of God, the multiple complexities of responsibility for kingship, and the readers' opportunities for transformation. It provides a new approach to the Old Testament, supplying the reader with not only an in-depth character study but also an interesting, insightful read, and opportunity for transformation.

Chapters are "Asking a Child (1 Samuel 1-3)," "Seeking a Refuge (1 Samuel 4-7)," "Request for a King (1 Samuel 8-12)," "Obedience Wanted, Wanting (1 Samuel 13-15)" "Suspecting the Dreaded (1 Samuel 16-19)" "Futile Searching (1 Samuel 20-23)," "Sensing the Silent (1 Samuel 24-26)," and "Final Questions."

Barbara Green, OP, PhD, is a professor of biblical studies and a member of the core doctoral faculty at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California. Editor of the Interfaces series, she also wrote Like a Tree Planted, published by Liturgical Press.

Review Quotes

A strong reading such as Green's will stand on its own and point beyond itself.
The Bible and Critical Theory

Green's reading of Saul is effective. It both provides a novel perspective on Saul with many fine insights and spurs me on to reread 1 Samuel and beyond with her mode of interpretation in hand.
The Bible and Critical Theory

This is a fascinating book that introduces the reader to a new approach to the ancient text. It serves to engage the contemporary reader of Saul's story, which was written to deal with a dilemma faced by another generation of believers. However, Green is able to glean from that ancient story new possibilities for the transformation of the believer today. It is the type of book that will enrich both the scholar and the general reader.
Catholic Library World