Solomon: gruesome or great? - the Miscellanies as a conclusion to the Succession Narrative
(2023) EABS Graduate Symposium — Location: Jerusalem (27.March.2023)
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- Abstract
- The Miscellanies are one of the strangest mysteries in the Septuagint text of Samuel–Kings. Found after 1 Kings 2:35 and 2:46, they consist of two large pluses of 14 and 11 verses respectively. The pluses consist of seemingly loosely connected elements gathered from the main story of Solomon (1 Kings 3–11), structured around his wisdom, building activities and extensive wealth. Due to their unique nature the Miscellanies have baffled scholars. Many attempts have been made to provide a solution for their origin, but so far, no convincing conclusion has been put forward. Originally seen as a purely Greek creation (Montgomery, Gooding, Van Keulen), most scholars now argue for a Hebrew origin of the Miscellanies (Trebolle-Barrera, Polak, Tov, Talshir, Piquer-Otero). Few of these scholars have investigated the function and role of the Miscellanies at the end of 1 Kings 2. The aim of this paper is to fill this gap and provide a new look at the Miscellanies. I will argue that the Miscellanies are connected to the stories surrounding the final years of David’s life and his ultimate succession by his son Solomon. Often called the ‘Succession Narrative’, the ‘Court History’ or the ‘Saga of King David’, they are found at the end of 2 Samuel and the beginning of 1 Kings. While there is much debate on their extent, dating, purpose and relationship with Samuel–Kings (especially the back-and-forth between Blenkinsopp and Van Seters), all scholars agree that this narrative concludes with Solomon on Israel’s throne in 1 Kings 2:46. My hypothesis is that the Miscellanies formed the conclusion to this story, by providing a summary of Solomon’s reign. Originally meant as an end to 2 Samuel, in this way the Miscellanies make much more sense in terms of content and location.
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Citations
Beukenhorst, M. (2023). Solomon: gruesome or great? - the Miscellanies as a conclusion to the Succession Narrative. EABS Graduate Symposium, Jerusalem.