The First Book of Samuel [Paperback]

The New English Bible translation, with introductory material and commentaries.Summarizes the place of this book in the Old Testament canon, its relationship with history and its theological purpose. A final brief section considers the theological message today of this account of the beginnings of the line of David.Summarizes the place of this book in the Old Testament canon, its relationship with history and its theological purpose. A final brief section considers the theological message today of this account of the beginnings of the line of David.Professor Ackroyd's introduction summarizes the place of the First Book of Samuel in the Old Testament canon, its relationship with history and its theological purpose. The main divisions of the text are those provided by the New English Bible itself, but the text is further subdivided for the purposes of the commentary, which draws out the kind of significance indicated in the introduction. As in the series of Cambridge Bible Commentaries on the New English Bible New Testament, short passages of text and the editor's commentary are interspersed so that the reader does not have to refer to another part of the book to find the commentary. A final brief section asks what is the theological message today of this account of the beginnings of the line of David, of Samuel's role as judge and of Saul's as king.List of maps and plan; The footnotes to the N. E. B. text; 1. What the book is about; 2. The divided 'book' of Samuel; 3. The larger work to which the book of Samuel belongs; 4. How did the book come to be written?; 5. The purpose of the book; 6. History and interpretation; 7. The first book of Samuel as a theological work; 8. The text of the book and its interpretation; The message of the book; Index.