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The gap between the content of Samuel's call narrative (1 Sam 1,1-4,1a), which describes his inauguration as a prophet, and its design, which strays from the literary model of calls to prophecy, has yet to be offered a plausible synchronic explanation. The literary reading suggested in this article presents a new interpretation of Samuel's misunderstanding of the call, and clarifies the theological meaning of Eli's involvement in his initiation into prophecy; these explain how the unique characteristics of the story construct its intertwined dual theme: the call to prophecy, and the replacement of the leadership, and explicate why the leadership change includes not only a personal replacement of Eli, but also of the priestly leadership model with a prophetic one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article takes a fresh approach to the story of the woman of Endor (1 Sam 28,3-25), arguing that the difficulties it raises serve as the key for understanding the story's polemical intent. The affinities between Samuel and the medium and their professional success indicate that Israelite prophecy and pagan manticism are one and the same. The antithesis between them and between the woman's empathy for Saul and Samuel's antagonism towards Saul both evince Samuel's inferiority to the medium. Even if only adduced in order to cast a shadow over Samuel, the necromancer's positive depiction creates the impression that belongs to a later period during which belief in necromancy was less threatening. This impression is reinforced by linguistic and substantive considerations. The reference to the war against Amalek, and Samuel's religious declaration that heeding God's word is more pleasing to him than cultic ritual, disclose the author's priestly identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the significance of the strange scene in 1 Sam 3 where Samuel confuses the Lord with Eli and investigates what message the author intended to convey. The article argues that the narrative of Samuel’s call addresses issues that extend beyond his circumstances. Samuel is a representative of the entire prophetic legacy, and the narrator uses the narrative’s peculiarities to validate the essence of prophecy and the prophetic role. The article also explores the similarities and differences between Samuel’s call narrative and Num 12, which claims that only Moses is a trustworthy prophet. The narrator of Samuel’s call narrative uses Num 12 subversively, lending credibility to his own narrative and reinforcing Samuel’s reliability. Ultimately, the method by which the message was conveyed is inconsequential as long as the prophet received and accurately conveyed the divine message. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two issues concerning the relationship between Jonathan and David are discussed, one found at the beginning and the other at the end of their joint adventures as described in 1 Samuel. First, we consider how we should interpret the covenant between Jonathan and David. It is shown that this need not be interpreted positively in all respects. It is not mentioned anywhere that David inquired of Yahweh before making this covenant. It also looks like Jonathan lacked crucial information about Yahweh's rejection of Saul. In the end, their covenant is a pact between the rejected house of Saul and the elected house of David, which appears not to have been blessed by Yahweh. Second, it is investigated whether Jonathan has actually made a choice between his father, Saul, and his friend David. The narrative seems to hint that Jonathan has in fact chosen Saul's side. In the end, Jonathan decided not to stay with David but to return to his father's house. As a consequence, Jonathan fought Saul's battle and, ultimately, died with him, resulting in David's grief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the robe/armor removal imagery in the book(s) of Samuel. Through a study of the key instances of robe/armor removal, this article seeks to show how Samuel's imagery develops the theme of Davidic kingship. As will be argued, the narrator uses the literary device of robe/armor removal to attest to the kingly nature of the one before whom a character's robe or armor is removed. In the end, this literary pattern of robe/armor removal will shed light on David's strange, somewhat undignified, "uncovering" in 2 Sam 6. By tracking the use of robe/armor removal imagery, it will be shown that David's robe removal reveals his view that Yhwh is the true king of Israel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article identifies eleven cases where the editors of DJD XVII, the Samuel scrolls from Qumran, claim that one of the scrolls agrees with LXX but they have misread, and in some instances misidentified, the fragment. These cases are analyzed by using Photoshop to superimpose extant characters directly onto digital images of the fragments. The editors' errors suggest that some circular thinking may have crept into their work: their belief that the Samuel scrolls are closely related to LXX caused them to see agreements that were not there, which in turn confirmed their belief in the close relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Samuel ben Hoshaʿna, known as Samuel the Third, was a highly intriguing hymnist who lived and worked in Jerusalem around the year 1000. His vast oeuvre of compositions is mostly intended for the Sabbaths of the annual cycle, and includes neologisms and verbal forms based on his extensive knowledge of Aramaic. This is exemplified by two piyyutim discussed in this study, one of which is translated into English for the first time. What stands out are Samuel's lexical inventiveness and linguistic insight into Aramaic, which are at the level of prominent scholars and poets like Saadiah Gaon whose significance for the study of Aramaic is briefly described in the introduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I survey exegetical approaches to the "blind and lame," using disability studies and close readings to expose ableist bias. I also present my reading, in which I propose that the blind and lame are disabled persons whom David hates not just because of who they are, but also because of the fears they provoke. He is afraid. Disabled bodies can be unpredictable, untamable, and uncertain. David has no idea what his enemies are capable of, because "blind" and "lame" are vague and amorphous labels. Parading blind people and lame people on the ramparts does not display the weakest people in a strong city but displays people of unknown strengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Armed conflict situations are more than just sites of violence, destruction, scars, torture, rape, and death; they are also sites of disability production through direct causes and indirectly through disruption of societal services, which would otherwise prevent disabilities. In this paper, the David Narrative in 2 Samuel is reread as an armed conflict text centered on power, disempowerment, and control issues. In this rereading, the imagery of disability is viewed as a symbol of terror to instill fear and deter rebels and traitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the diocesan structure of the Archbishopric of Ohrid as conveyed in the charters of the Byzantine emperor Basil II issued in 1019, 1020 and 1020-1025. It looks at the origin of each bishopric and traces its historical development during the First Bulgarian Empire in 864-971, the Byzantine reoccupation under John I Tzimiskes in 971-976, and Samuel’s Empire in 976-1018.

The final speech given by Samuel to mark the passing from a theocratic to a monarchical regime is distinguished by the strategy of learning from their own history. The leader uses historical elements to determine the community to obey Yahweh as a part of an educational strategy whereby the leader uses history for pedagogical purposes. The mentioned events are subjective in nature and reflect the re-validation of Samuel as leader, the belief that Saul had become a part of the divine plan of government, and it highlights the sins of the people showing the decisive contribution of Yahweh to the progress of the community up until that moment.

The correspondence between Edward Young and Samuel Richardson reveals not only their reciprocal friendship, but also their complex network of authorship. Beginning with Young's Night-Thoughts (1742–46) and Richardson's Clarissa (1747–48), Richardson took an increasingly active role in Young's compositions, culminating in Conjectures on Original Composition (1759), while Young had a diminished effect on Richardson's writings. By viewing their work as part of a larger trajectory of literary influence, we can trace Richardson's significant impact on Conjectures on Original Composition and rightly consider him as that text's co-author, though he is framed instead as the work's recipient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This short note lists the 4Q51 fragments that were excavated from Qumran Cave 4 and proposes that four hitherto unidentified fragments belong to 4Q51. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the diocesan structure of the Archbishopric of Ohrid as conveyed in the charters of the Byzantine emperor Basil II issued in 1019, 1020 and 1020-1025. It looks at the origin of each bishopric and traces its historical development during the First Bulgarian Empire in 864-971, the Byzantine reoccupation under John I Tzimiskes in 971-976, and Samuel's Empire in 976-1018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a fragmentary essay, composed of reflections and aphorisms, created by the critical reading of El Cazador Celeste, by the famous Italian essayist and editor Roberto Calasso (1941- 2021), and The Resounding Soul. Reflections on the Metaphysics and Vivacity of the Human Person, compiled by Eric Austin Lee and Samuel Kimbriel, which brings together essays by neurologists, theologians, and philosophers around the notion of the soul. Both meditative readings become focused on the concern for language and its paradoxes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Le Moïse des livres prophétiques renvoie, au rôle de Moïse dans les Ps 105-106 ; 99 et 77.[1] En relation étroite avec ces mentions de Moïse, le comportement de Balaam est donné en exemple, contemporain du Moïse des plaines de Moab selon Nb 22-24, en opposition aux comportements des Israélites en Nb 25,1-5.[2] Balaam a obéi à Yahvé refusant de maudire [verbes ארר et קבב (Nb 22,11.17 ; 23,8.11.13.25.27 ; 24,10 pour toute la Bible) ; נקב (Nb 23,8.25); voir הקבה en Nb 25,8 !)] Israël. Ce dernier n’ayant pas suivi l’exemple d’obéissance de Balaam doit finalement affronter la malédiction [Voir le verbe ארר en Nb 22-24 et 5,18-27 et substantifs אלה en Nb 5,21-27 et שבועה en 5,21 (cf.: אלה et שבועה en Dn 9,11)]. https://doi.org/10.17159/2312-3621/2022/v35n3a6 [1] Moïse est mentionné dans le Psautier en : Ps 77,21 ; et dans le quatrième livre du Psautier, Ps 90-106, en Ps 90,1 ; 99,6 ; 103,7 ; 105,26 ; 106,16.23.32. On note les relations antagonistes avec 1 Ch 16. Dans le titre du Ps 77 sont cités ידותון mentionné en 1 Ch 16,41.42.42, et אסף mentionné en 1 Ch 16,5.5.7.37. Le texte de Ps 105,1-15 est cité en 1 Ch 16,8-22 et Ps 106,1.47-48 en 1 Ch 16,34-36 (passages sans Moïse !, réinterprétation davidique). Voir également le Ps 96 en 1 Ch 16,23-33, avec « Yahvé règne » en 96,10 (1 Ch 16,31), et Ps 99,1. Lee Roy Martin, « The Chiastic Structure of Psalm 106 », OTE 31 (2018) : 506-521, souligne que les Ps 105 et 106 se réfèrent à la même histoire, côté « victories », pour le Ps 105, côté « disobedience », pour le Ps 106 (Voir Nb 25). Dans la catégorie « Psaume historique » il relie aux Ps 105-106, le Ps 78, or on peut noter la mention de Moïse au terme du Ps 77, le Pasteur Moïse se substituant au Pasteur David, justement au terme du Ps 78. L’insertion du rôle de Moïse dans les Ps 105-106 correspond également à la disparition de la dynastie davidique selon le Ps 89. La mention de Moïse en Ps 99,6, concerne le thème de l’ « intercession » (comme en Ps 106,23, suite au veau de l’Horeb en 106,19, cf. Ex 33), en substitution de l’intercession royale, dans la même ligne, on peut comparer les titres des Ps 86 (David) et 90 (Moïse). [2] Moïse en Nb 25,4.5.6.10.16. L’infidélité avec le Baal de Péor en 25,3, provoque la fureur de Yahvé. Moïse intervient en 25,4 pour apaiser la fureur de Yahvé. Jan-Albert Roetman and Caspar Visser’t Hooft, « Le Psaume 106 et le Pentateuque », ETR 85 (2010) : 233-243. Pages 239-241, les auteurs rapprochent les événements mentionnés dans le Ps 106 des récits du Pentateuque. Les liens avec le livre des Nombres sont prépondérants. Page 241, ils rapprochent Nb 25,1-4 et Ps 106,28-31. Le verbe קבב est propre à Nb 22-24. The mentions of Moshe in the prophetic books look to the part of Moshe in Ps 105-106; 99 and 77. In relation to these prophetic references we note the mention of the good example of Balaam, contemporary of Moses in the country of Moab in Num 22-24. Balaam obeyed to Yahweh and did not curse [verb ארר and קבב (Num 22,11.17 ; 23,8.11.13.25.27 ; 24,10 only in the Bible) ; נקב (Num 23,8.25); see הקבה in Num 25,8 !] Israel. But Israel did not obey in the line of Balaam, and must be cursed [See the verb ארר in Num 22-24 and Num 5,18-27 and אלה in Num. 5,21-27 and שבועה in Num 5,21 (cf.: אלה et שבועה in Dn 9,11)].

The names of several of David's successors are related in both meaning and narrative situation: Ahaziah and Ahaz, Rehoboam and Jeroboam, Joash and Josiah, Amaziah and Hezekiah. Components of other names (Azariah, Uzziah, and Jotham) are also uniquely anticipated in the synoptic record. When the names of prophets and northern kings are also reviewed, the total impression is of artistic narrative more than historical record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1847, Samuel Mazzuchelli, O.P. founder of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, encouraged the sisters to "set out for any place where the work is great and difficult." He instilled in them a love of learning and communal study, adaptability, and a spirit of flexibility—all which were necessary for ministry on the frontier. After his death in 1864, the Dominican community was curious about their founder's early missionary experience on the American frontier. To their astonishment, they learned that Mazzuchelli wrote a memoir detailing his ministry among fur trappers and traders of Mackinac Island and Green Bay, and among the Ottawa, Chippewa, Menominee and Ho Chunk (Winnebago) peoples. When the Jacksonian-era Indian removal policies pushed Native Americans off their ancestral lands, he moved westward in 1835 to pastor the Irish and German immigrants and the early pioneers of the Upper Mississippi River Valley's lead mining region. The Memoirs present a vivid account of the experiences of an Italian Dominican missionary in the Old Northwest from 1830 to 1843. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to the well-known repetitions in the book of Judges, this article maps a number of meaningful cases of repetition in the form of parallel structures in chapters 1, 14–16 and 17–21. This special use of repetition can be regarded as characteristic of the editor who was responsible for the book in its final form. The analysis of this phenomenon helps to provide a better view of the structure of the book as a whole and to explain the function of the double references to the death of Joshua and to the twenty years of Samson as a judge. The specific use of parallel structures at the beginning and end of the book can also be related to theories that attempt to reconstruct the formation of the book and the way in which it is connected to both the preceding book of Joshua and the following book of Samuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of a much smaller draft of a multi-volume novel has suggested a partial analogy with the writing of Samuel-Kings in the Hebrew Bible. The draft makes no mention of the novel's main character; and the proposed earlier version of the biblical narrative is silent about the prophetic giants that dominate the text we know. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction between Saul and the woman of Endor is a minor episode, not only within the first book of Samuel, but in the Tanakh as a whole. The woman, whose actions drive the narrative, is not named nor is very much known about her. All that the text reveals are her gender, domicile location, familiarity with the law (Saul's ban on ovot and yid'onim), and culinary possessions (flour and a calf). Through linguistic connotation her age range is surmisable: she is neither maiden nor elderly. Of her specific abilities, little is actually known as it is totally unclear what she did exactly that caused connection between the living Saul and deceased Samuel. Yet this woman, and the language used that describes her in a few verses without substantive information, have singularly driven wildly polarizing visual representations of the female thaumaturge for centuries. The artistically rendered visage of the Endoran ranges from the crone of gothic nightmares to hypersexual femme fatale, to gregarious earth mother, to occult adept perfecting her craft. Despite her shifting guise, one aspect remains consistent throughout the majority of images: the visual translation (or mistranslation) of ovot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the exceptionally interesting examples of a living biblical tradition, maintained by Christian, Muslim and Jewish pilgrims for over sixteen hundred years, is the history of St. Samuel monastery on the Mount of Joy. The shrine was founded in the Byzantine period, but its heyday falls on the period of the Crusades. It was from here, after the murderous journey, that the troops of the First Crusade saw Jerusalem for the first time. The knights were followed by more and more pilgrims. On the hill, called Mons Gaudii, the Premonstratensians built their monastery, which in time became a real pilgrimage center. Based on the preserved traces, the author reconstructs the Christian chapters of the history of Nabi Samuel. He recalls people, events and traditions related to it, and also the accounts of pilgrims coming here.Christians left the Mons Gaudii probably at the end of the 12th century. Worship of the prophet Samuel were taken over by Muslims and Jews. For the latter the Tomb of Prophet Samuel became one of the most important places of pilgrimage, in some periods even more important than Jerusalem itself. There were numerous disputes and conflicts about holding control over this place, there were even bloody battles. In 1967 this place was taken by the Israeli army. Over time, a national park was created in the area around the mosque, in the mosque itself was established a place of prayer for Jews, and a synagogue in the tomb crypt. A slightly forgotten sanctuary began to warm up emotions anew.

A single verse near the conclusion of 1 Samuel 17 mentions that after defeating Goliath, David took the giant's severed head to Jerusalem (1 Sam. 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 of monster-combat that center an adversary's head and its subsequent display are widespread; the present paper discusses the Gilgamesh/Ḫumbaba and Perseus/Medusa narratives, 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cairo Geniza has yielded 650+ manuscripts (all fragmentary, of course) of the book of Samuel. A survey of those documents reveals a number of places with variant readings, especially when compared to the great medieval codices: Aleppo (A) and St Petersburg (L). The present article demonstrates that many of these variant readings are reflected in Targum Jonathan and in the Peshitta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

U ovom članku autor iz perspektive tradicionalnog židovskog tumačenja istražuje pozadinu i unutarnje značenje Psalma 69 i poglavlja 16 u Prvoj knjizi o Samuelu. U radu se najprije navode biblijski tekstovi koji opisuju djetinjstvo i mladenaštvo kralja Davida, a zatim se definiraju zbunjujuća pitanja koja se mogu iščitati iz tih i dodatnih tekstova u psalmima. Tekstovi opisuju neobičnu odbojnost Davidove obitelji prema njemu kao i odbojnost drugih ljudi spram kralja Davida. Središnji dio ovoga članka čini istraživanje koje nastoji doseći korijen takva neobičnog neprijateljstva. Samo istraživanje temelji se na mnoštvu rabinskih izvora, dio kojih je mističan. To su izvori koji istražuju neke skrivene i intimne epizode iz života roditelja i predaka kralja Davida, koji dovode u pitanje njegovo podrijetlo. Zbog tih događaja ljudi su se prema njemu ponašali neprijateljski i tako mu zagorčavali život. U ovom se istraživanju autor služi raznovrsnim izvorima rabinske književnosti, koji su nastajali od vremena Talmuda, preko srednjega vijeka sve do modernih vremena. To su književna djela koja su prvi put objavljena u ovom radu u autorovu prijevodu s hebrejskog i aramejskog jezika na hrvatski jezik.

Throughout the history, prophets have been sent for each community, both leaders and guides. Ibrahim, one of the common names of the religions of Islam, Judaism and Christianity, is a prophet with the greatest knowledge about both the Qur'an and other holy books. The geography and family life of Ibrahim, which Islamic religion regards as ulu'l-azm, has attracted the interests of many researchers with its close interest in three religions. In this context, along with Abraham, Hagar, Sarah, Samuel and Isaac became other names that came to foreground. Hâgar and Hagarism, which is a rhetoric that has been introduced in relation to these names, played an important role in the point of origin of the three Semitic religions, has been popular in the West especially since 1977 and has been used against Islam with a manipulative method. Hagarism which attracts the attention of those who work on religions and has wrote many articles on it. In this work, we tried to deal with the way in which our country was rise and how and why it was evolved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of all the characters of the book of Judges none has more in common with the David of the socalled 'History of David's Rise' than Samson. A careful comparison of Judg. 13.1-16.3 with 1 Sam. 16-23 reveals numerous similarities between the two figures, including the way their slaying of lions presages their most striking acts, and the way in which Yahweh and Saul, respectively, use the prospect of marriage to manipulate them to attack Philistines. We also find parallels in their calls, relationship to the rûahḥ YHWH, relationship to family, and use of wisdom. These extensive similarities naturally lead us to consider the differences which may explain Samson's failure and David's success. David is a leader, while Samson acts solo; David is beloved while not loving anyone, while Samson loves without being loved himself. These observations support deuteronomistic ideology highlighting leaders and leadership, and devaluing human love for other humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seeking Saul may be a key to understand the emergence of the people who later will be called Israel. Biblical narratives in Samuel Books hide ancient traditions that may refer to saulide kingdom. To rescue these traditions is the purpose of this paper. The text under consideration is 1 Samuel 9-(12)14. In it are three stories that are part of memory which refers to the beginning of saulide kingdom: the story of the lost donkeys, the war against the Ammonites and the battle against the Philistines. These memories have been obscured by subsequent redactions. Three layers are visible in the narrative: a pre-Deuteronomistic (Dtr), a Deuteronomistic, VII B.C.E., and an exilic and post-exilic. Although archeology has not found evidence of literary activity in Israel before VIII Century B.C.., this paper proposes that the first draft took place during the reign of the omridas in Samaria (884-842). Old memories are related to town’s names: Shalishah, Shaalim and Suf, which only appear in the text in question, and whose exact location has been lost, Bethel and Michmash. Besides these, Gibeah of Saul, Gibeah of Benjamin, Gibeah of Elohim, Geba and Gibeon. All are in the territory of Benjamin and all have the same root gb '(mountain), which is a sign to identify the saulide kingdom.

The text of 2 S 23,1-7 must be interpreted in the continuity of 2 S 22, as soon as Ps 19 in continuity of Ps 18, parallel to 2 S 22. And 2 S 23,1-7 must be understood in the Ps 18 line of messianic reaffirmation, with correspondence to Nb 24,17. This Davidic reaffirmation implies the presentation of David’s action in the continuity of Moses, because Moses was first a substitute of the dynasty immediately after the exile. The messianic reaffirmation looks to the transfer of the arch by David. The mention of the “sons of Belial” corresponds to an allusion to Ps 18,5 = 2 S 22,5, and finally to the Books of Samuel.

Hahnemann defines epidemics, describes how to investigate epidemics, and records examples of treatment for epidemics. His hard-earned experience should guide us in current times. We will also explore the difference between Hahnemann's concept of a "specific" remedy in epidemics vs. Rademacher's concept of genus epidemicus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Die Samuelbücher werden unter dem Aspekt analysiert, dass Macht sowohl reale Paranoia ist als auch die Fähigkeit, die Welt positiv zu verändern. Macht konzentriert sich in Ämtern wie Priester, Richter, Prophet, König und Heerführer, die von Gott verliehen werden, damit sie in rechter Weise gebraucht wird. Wegen ihrer positiven Aspekte einerseits und der negativen bei der Unterlassung andererseits, erscheint Machtausübung als notwendig. Trotzdem hat Macht eine destruktive Komponente, der verzweifelt gewehrt werden muss, aber schwer gewehrt werden kann. Machtmissbrauch hat zwar immer einen konkreten Anlass, seine Urgründe liegen jedoch im familiären Missbrauch, und eine besondere Gefahr liegt im Transfer von Macht in der Dynastie. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses several textual features of the second Church Slavonic version of 1–4 Kingdoms. It presents this tradition to scholars as new material for the study of the Antiochene or Lucianic recension of 1–4 Kingdoms, a text-type found in five Greek minuscule manuscripts. The Church Slavonic version has come down in two Serbian testimonies, dating respectively from 1418 and 1523–1543. The analysis shows that it represents a new witness, not only to the Antiochene recension of 1–4 Kingdoms as a whole, but also to its proto-Lucianic textual stratum. The investigation has furthermore brought to light the existence in this secondary tradition of an edition of 3–4 Kingdoms, presenting an otherwise unknown subdivision of the books. The textual arrangement is as follows: 3 Kingdoms comprises 3 Kgdms 2:12–11:41, while 4 Kingdoms consists of a combination of 3 Kgdms 11:42–22:54 and 4 Kgdms 1:1–25:30. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text 1 Samuel 3 has been oft studied from the perspective of the call. A deeper analysis reveals that an important theme is the discernment. The paper focuses on the theme of discernment and the answer to the divine call. The topic of discernment is a particularly current theme, especially in the context of the wide access to information and globalization. First, the study clarifies some concepts and terms. Who is Samuel? Why is he proposed as a model? What is the meaning of discernment? Secondly, I make an exegetical analysis of the text in 1 Samuel 3, in order to identify some characteristics of vocation: the call, the discernment of the divine will, and the mission. The final part sets out the implications. It will highlight the elements that render Samuel a symbol of discernment, with an emphasis on the theological and spiritual aspects and the application of the same to the existence of today man. As Samuel, the human being needs to listen, to discern and to act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with the two accounts of Saul's coronation that appear in I Sam 10-11. As opposed to the traditional critical approach, I propose a literary perspective, positing that both coronation episodes belong to a single story that is developed by means of concentric parallelism. The concentric structure of the accounts (which indicates a reversal in the conception of monarchy), the strange and unique literary formulations, and the other well-known literary devices such as analogies and leitwort all flesh-out the ideal character of the king of Israel. This is done while establishing Saul's character as the perfect king, who is worthy to lead. The purpose of the story is to teach the proper approach to understanding the status of the king of Israel, and to show that at this stage of the story Saul recognizes his limitations as a flesh-and-blood king who is aware of God's role as the leader and savior of the Nation of Israel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1 Sam 3:18b, Eli responds to a prophetic judgment with the phrase “it is the Lord, may he do what is good in his eyes.” Most commentators understand this response as an example of pious acceptance of divine judgment. The claim of this article is that a plausible case can be made for reading Eli’s response as culpably passive. This case will be made following two lines of evidence. First, I will examine an oracle of judgment against an individual and the response as a type-scene in Samuel-Kings. Second, I will examine how this culpable passivity fits with the characterization of Eli in 1 Samuel 1-3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I analyse and compare the motif of the rocking chair in a selection of Samuel Beckett's and Franz Kline's works. Rocking chairs appear in three of Beckett's main works: the novel Murphy, Film, and the short play Rockaby. Kline, in turn, painted a series of portraits of his wife sitting in a rocking chair at a pivotal moment in his life and career - as well as in the history of modern painting -, namely, in the years immediately preceding his turn to abstract painting. By comparing the uses of this apparently marginal motif, I intend to show how they can mutually shed light onto each other and help addressing some of the major aspects of both bodies of work. In particular, I claim that the rocking chair served both authors as a sort of fetish object through which they could address their views on the relation between the subject and the outer world, a major theme in both their works and lives which played a relevant role in the development of their creative process and the definition of their poetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The revival of the Bulgarian tsarate under the rule of Samuel determined a long series of wars with the Byzantine Empire. After a period of Bulgarian victories, the Byzantine army was able to take revenge. In the offensive campaigns led between 997 and 1004 was conquered a large part of the territory recovered by Samuel, including the area crossed by Via Egnatia. The last stage of the conflict began in 1014, with a Bulgarian attack against Thessaloniki. The counteroffensive of Basil II destroyed the powerful defences set by the Bulgarians in the Kleidion gorge. In the following years the Byzantine army continued to conquer the Macedonian fortresses; the following tsars Gabriel Radomir, John Vladislav and Presian tried in vain to resist with their diminished forces. The capital Ohrid was occupied in 1018. Two new provinces were organized on the territory of the former tsarate: Sirmium and Bulgaria (with the residence at Skopion). Basil II applied a policy of conciliation with the local population (among them, the Aromanians living allover the former Bulgaria), offering some fiscal and religious advantages to the entire people, and functions to some aristocrats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]