Samson : : hero or fool? : the many faces of Samson / / edited by Erik Eynikel, Tobias Nicklas.

• Superior document: Themes in Biblical Narrative, Volume 17
• TeilnehmendeR: Eynikel, Erik,; Nicklas, Tobias,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden, The Netherlands : : Brill,, 2014.; ©2014
• Year of Publication: 2014
• Language: English
• Series: Themes in biblical narrative ; Volume 17.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (254 p.)
• Notes: Includes index.

Samson is a peculiar character. He is the most powerful of the Israelite judges and three whole chapters in the book of Judges are allocated to him. Yet he demonstrates many weaknesses, not least for the charms of women. In the international conference “Samson: Hero or Fool?” organised at the University of Nijmegen in April, 2008, the texts of Judges 16-18 were studied from different perspectives, investigating how the complex character of this (anti)hero lived on in various ways in the later traditions about him. The contributions discuss also the reception history of the Samson traditions in later Jewish, Christian and Islamic literature, as well as his representation in figurative and performing arts

Table of Contents

Preliminary Material -- The Structure and Meaning of the Samson Narratives (Jud. 13–16) / Elie Assis -- The Many Faces of Samson / J. Cheryl Exum -- A Hero Ensnared in Otherness? Literary Images of Samson / Susanne Gillmayr-Bucher -- Samson and Samuel: Two Examples of Leadership / Lara van der Zee -- Who Cut Samson’s Hair? The Interpretation of Judges 16:19a Reconsidered / Cornelis Houtman -- The Septuagint Reading of the Samson Cycle / Natalio Fernández Marcos -- Rabbinic Discourse about Samson: Continuity and Change between the Tannaitic Culture to the Amoraic / Ronit Nikolsky -- Of Valour and Strength: The Samson Cycle in Josephus’ work: Jewish Antiquities 5.276–317 / Tessel M. Jonquière -- Kein Simson im Neuen Testament? / Tobias Nicklas -- Samson in Islamic Literature and in the Old Testament / Erik Eynikel -- Samson in Music / Kees Wisse -- Samson in European Literature: Some Examples from English, French and German Poetry / Karin Schöpflin -- The Looks of a Hero: Some Aspects of Samson in Fine Arts / Klaas Spronk -- Obsessive Love: Samson and Delilah Go to the Movies / Reinhold Zwick -- Index of Modern Authors -- Index of Biblical References.