Hillel I. Millgram

The Elijah Enigma

The Prophet, King Ahab and the Rebirth of Monotheism in the Book of Kings

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

An analysis of the intertwining tales of Elijah and Ahab--mercurial prophet and Machiavellian king--this book is an accessible treatment of one of the most dramatic and well-known episodes in the Bible. In contrast to the popular image of Elijah as a courageous wonder-worker who calls down fire from heaven and ascends to heaven in a fiery chariot, this book contends that the prophet was a deeply conflicted man, torn between a burning idealism and a deep disillusionment over his failure to achieve his ideals. Despite his profound sense of failure, Elijah's struggle against the paganizing regime of King Ahab and his queen, Jezebel, managed to save monotheism from eclipse, and in so doing alter the course of human history. This work further proposes that the tale presented by the Bible is more than an account of an ancient battle between two historic figures: it is a paradigm of the struggle between the ideals of human dignity and justice, and the alternative of expediency in the pursuit of power, a conflict that pervades human life to this very day.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: McFarland
• Seitenzahl: 382
• Erscheinungstermin: 16. September 2014
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 254mm x 178mm x 21mm
• Gewicht: 717g
• ISBN-13: 9780786495207
• ISBN-10: 0786495200
• Artikelnr.: 40873062

Autorenporträt

Hillel I. Millgram, ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, lives in Israel. He combines research and writing with teaching graduate courses in the Bible.

Inhaltsangabe

Table of Contents Abbreviations Preface Introduction Prologue: The Root of the Infection Part I: As the Twig Is Bent Part II: The Rise of the House of Ahab The Book of Elijah: Confrontations 1.
The Fugitive from Tishbe 2.
Confrontations in a Time of Drought 3.
Elijah Forces a Showdown Excursus: What Can Explain the People's Apostasy? 4.
The Big Let-down 5.
Abdication Denied Excursus: The Ringing Stillness The Book of Ahab 6.
Against Overwhelming Odds 7.
At the Turn of the Year 8.
Impeached 9.
Crime and Punishment 10.
Entrapment 11.
Nemesis The Book of Elijah Continued: Final Reckoning 12.
A Most Unfortunate Accident Excursus: The Oracle and the Prophet 13.
Translation Excursus: Of History and Myth The Fall of the House of Ahab 14.
Unfinished Business I: Mission to Damascus 15.
Unfinished Business II: The Coming of the Storm 16.
The Chariot Rider 17.
The Unleashed Man 18.
Final Curtain 19.
Summing Up Postscript: The Long Aftermath Afterword Appendices: 1.
Dating in the Book of Kings 2.
The Community of the Exile 3.
Miracles in the Bible 4.
A Note on "Asherah" 5.
David's Libation 6.
A Zealous Exemplar 7.
The Aramean Connection 8.
Wadi Fara, September 21-22, 1918 9.
The Sons of the Prophets 10.
The Ancestral Estate 11.
The Hidden House of Omri 12.
The Gebirah or Queen Mother Timeline: Putting Things in Perspective Glossary of Terms and Place Names Who's Who in the Elijah Story Bibliography Scriptural Index General Index