A Novel of King David
Historical Note:
By Prof. S. W. van Heerden, Dept. of Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies (Unisa)
The Old Testament scholar, Walter Brueggemann, has pointed out that “David is one of those extraordinary historical figures who has a literary future. That is, his memory and presence keep generating more and more stories.” David J. Ferreira’s book, David: The Warrior King, is precisely such a new story.
The truth about King David that is offered in the Bible is not a simple, unambiguous piece. It moves in a variety of directions and can hardly be reduced to a single formulation. We should not be surprised by this, given the various pieces of literature about David that come from different hands in different contexts for different purposes. Each of them touches a dimension of this “larger-than-life” person. In addition, the person David seems to be inscrutable, very down-to-earth, and harboring tensions and ambiguities.
Now that is what makes a good story, which explains why many modern Bible readers find the David narratives absorbing literature. Furthermore, such narratives feed our imaginations in various ways. A wonderful example is how this book, David, came into existence. The biblical narratives about King David inspired the author to enter the world of the ancient Near East, to create context, and to imagine possible details of events that are portrayed only in outline in the Bible. Scholarly analyses of the biblical narratives about David have also revealed that these texts are characterized by subtlety, ambiguities, surprises, inscrutability, development and polyvalence—all of which are essential ingredients of a rich and thick plot. These ingredients have also found their way into David.
Biblical scholars have identified at least four modes of truth concerning King David in the Hebrew Bible. Each concerns a particular literature, reflecting a particular social context and a social hope, each making a particular theological claim. Brueggemann, for example, has identified four presentations of the person David in the Old Testament:
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The trustful truth of the tribe (1 Samuel 16:1–2 Samuel 5:5);
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The painful truth of the man (2 Samuel 8-20 and 1 Kings 1-2);
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The sure truth of the state (2 Sam 5:6–8:18);
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The hopeful truth of the assembly (Psalms 89 and 132; Lamentations 3:21-27; Isaiah 55:3; 1 Chronicles 10-29).
The book you are reading has been inspired by the trustful truth of the tribe in particular, which covers only the narrative about David’s rise.
If this fictional story about David entertains some truth of David, which truth does it offer? There is evidence that the historical reality of King David has been taken seriously. The reader is also confronted with the truth by which David lived. But this book also discloses a reality which clusters around the person of David, a truth made possible because we linger over the memory of King David and the possibilities that are associated with it.
More Historical Information On Characters in the book, From Other Websites And Public Articles:
King David:
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King David Article from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
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King David Article from the Jewish Library
Visit the Website
King Saul:
Prince Jonathan:
