Star or Ass? On the Reception History of the Biblical Balaam
(2017) Storyteller and Sage: Celebrating the Legacy of Hendrik Bosman — Location: Stellenbosch (South Africa) (7.November.2017)
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- Abstract
- Balaam undoubtedly counts among the most enigmatic characters within the Old Testament. Not everyone has the privilege to meet an angel, and to be addressed by a donkey. Moreover, the Biblical Balaam, as he is presented in Num 22–24, has given rise to multiple interpretations: did the Biblical authors want to narrate about a pagan diviner, who intended to curse the Israelites, but who has been manipulated – against his will – by God in order to bless them, or was he rather considered to be a real prophet? After a brief presentation of the way in which Balaam is presented within the Old and the New Testament, I will demonstrate in this paper how the bifocal Biblical presentation of Balaam has left its traces in the reception of this personage in Christian arts.
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Ausloos, H. (2017). Star or Ass? On the Reception History of the Biblical Balaam. Storyteller and Sage: Celebrating the Legacy of Hendrik Bosman, Stellenbosch (South Africa). https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/226505