A Star Was Born... About the Bifocal Reception History of Balaam
(2017) Scriptura : international journal of bible, religion and theology in southern Africa — Vol. 116, n° 2, p. 1-14 (2017)
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- Abstract
- Balaam 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? The first part of this article concisely deals with the ambiguous presentation of Balaam that is given in Numbers 22–24. Secondly, I focus on Balaam’s presentation in the other books of the Bible. In the last section I will show how the bifocal Biblical presentation of Balaam has left its traces on the reception of this personage in Christian arts.
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Citations
Ausloos, H. (2017). A Star Was Born... About the Bifocal Reception History of Balaam. Scriptura : international journal of bible, religion and theology in southern Africa, 116(2), 1-14. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/46703 (Original work published 2017)