Samson: The Hero and the Man

The story of Samson in the Bible is told in just four chapters of the Book of Judges, but the story of his life is composed of a mosaic of events.
This book examines many aspects of the unique figure of Samson: Samson as the chosen of God, who is destined to save the Israelites from Philistine oppression, and who ultimately dies with the Philistines; Samson, who appears on the stage of history as a promising leader but whose leadership fails; Samson the dissolute Nazirite; a powerful man who rips apart a lion as though it were a lamb, who uproots the gates of the city of Gaza and pulls down a pagan temple but at the same time he succumbs to his women and is ruled by them. This book invites the reader to contemplate Samson's highly contradictory personality, to take up moral issues, and to reflect upon love and betrayal, life and death, family and society subjects that have concerned people from antiquity to the present.

Autorentext

The Author: Pnina Galpaz-Feller is Lecturer in Bible and the Ancient Near East at the Schechter Institute for Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. She has written The Exodus from Egypt - Reality or Illusion and has published academic articles in journals in Israel and abroad. She has taken part in international conferences on Bible studies and has received prizes for her contribution to research and teaching in Jewish Studies.

Zusammenfassung
"An important study that moves beyond what the standard commentaries offer on the passage." (International Review of Biblical Studies)

Inhalt
Contents: All Remains in the Family Unto Every Person There Is a Name Ascetic or Casanova? On the Way to the Wedding Pre-Nuptials The Wedding Ceremony To Thine Companion that is Better than Thou The Oldest Profession in the World No Joyous Loves The Power of Seduction Go up, Thou Bald Head The Blind Man Who Sees the Future - «Let me Die with the Philistines» On Animals and Humans Samson the Hero Lives On.