Goliath among the Giants: Monster Decapitation and Capital Display in 1 Samuel 17 and beyond
Material type:
ArticlePublication details: London: SAGE Publications, Mar.2021Description: Pages, 336-356Subject(s):
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In:
Journal for the Study of the Old Testament
A Single verse near the conclusion of 1 Samuel 17 mentions that after defeating Goliath, David took the giant's severed head to Jerusalem (1Sam.17.54). The present paper argues that this text's communicating of David's Preeminence through his act of decapitation draws on the widespread understanding of heads as uniquely powerful and vulnerable, while triumph over a giant or monstrous body casts the future Israelite king as uniquely dominant over monstrous enemies at the physical extreme. Narratives o monster-combat that center an adversary's head and its subsequent display are widespread; with their corresponding visual art manifestations, to show how the biblical allusion to monstrous capital display functions socially and literarily to constitute David's power
| Item type | Current library | Call number | Vol info | Status | Date due | Barcode |
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Continuing Resources (Periodicals)
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New Theological College Back Issue (Serials) | Vol. 45, No. 03 (Mar.2021) | Available | JOT4503 |
A Single verse near the conclusion of 1 Samuel 17 mentions that after defeating Goliath, David took the giant's severed head to Jerusalem (1Sam.17.54). The present paper argues that this text's communicating of David's Preeminence through his act of decapitation draws on the widespread understanding of heads as uniquely powerful and vulnerable, while triumph over a giant or monstrous body casts the future Israelite king as uniquely dominant over monstrous enemies at the physical extreme. Narratives o monster-combat that center an adversary's head and its subsequent display are widespread; with their corresponding visual art manifestations, to show how the biblical allusion to monstrous capital display functions socially and literarily to constitute David's power
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