Durham E-Theses An Invincible Army?: Reading 1 Samuel 4-6 and 2 Samuel 6 as a Deuteronomistic Corrective to Exilic Misconceptions of the Ark WALKER, LOGAN,THOMAS How to cite: WALKER, LOGAN,THOMAS (2019) An Invincible Army?: Reading 1 Samuel 4-6 and 2 Samuel 6 as a Deuteronomistic Corrective to Exilic Misconceptions of the Ark, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/13430/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 An Invincible Army?: Reading 1 Samuel 4-6 and 2 Samuel 6 as a Deuteronomistic Corrective to Exilic Misconceptions of the Ark Logan Thomas Walker ABSTRACT The surprising nature of the events which surround the ark in 1 Samuel 4-6 and 2 Samuel 6 raises significant questions about the conflicting concepts of this central Israelite object. This study will consider these narratives in light of their wider contexts, silhouetting the presentation of the ark in these chapters against the understanding of the ark in the Deuteronomistic History and of divine statues in the ancient Near East. It will argue that the Deuteronomistic author used the events within these narratives are a means of dispelling and correcting the views surrounding the ark and the temple which were held by both the people of Israel and their enemies during the time of the Babylonian exile. The narratives of the ark offer a microcosm of the exile, providing both an explanation for Israel’s fate and a hope for their return. 1 DEPARTMENT OF THEOLOGY AND RELIGION An Invincible Army? Reading 1 Samuel 4-6 and 2 Samuel 6 as a Deuteronomistic Corrective to Exilic Misconceptions of the Ark Logan Thomas Walker MA by Research 2019 2 Contents INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................5 Chapter 1: THE DEUTERONOMISTIC HISTORY ......................................................................8 A. The Composition of the Deuteronomistic History .......................................................8 1. Martin Noth’s Theory ...........................................................................................8 2. Criticism of the Unity of the Deuteronomistic History ...........................................10 3. Redaction within the Deuteronomistic History ......................................................12 B. The Ideology of the Deuteronomistic History ............................................................15 1. Covenant Relationship and Adherence to the Law.................................................15 2. Centralized and Exclusive Worship of Yahweh .....................................................19 3. Possession of the Promised Land .........................................................................21 4. The Appointment and Influence of Leadership ......................................................23 Chapter 2: THE DEUTERONOMISTIC ARK .............................................................................27 A. The Ark and the Tablets .............................................................................................28 B. The Ark and Warfare ..................................................................................................33 1. Cultic Warfare in Joshua ....................................................................................34 2. Divination ..........................................................................................................37 3. Other Warfare Scenarios ....................................................................................41 C. The Ark and Leadership .............................................................................................45 1. Joshua and the Conquest ....................................................................................45 2. The Monarchy ....................................................................................................48 D. The Ark and the Cult ..................................................................................................49 1. Journey to the Temple .........................................................................................49 2. The Ark in the Temple .........................................................................................52 Chapter 3: CULT STATUES AND DIVINE ABANDONMENT IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST ...............................................................................................................................56 A. The Divine Image .......................................................................................................56 1. The Mīs Pî Ritual and Images in the Ancient Near East ........................................56 2. Icon Parodies in Deutero-Isaiah ..........................................................................63 B. The Deuteronomistic Ark as a Divine Image .............................................................66 1. Ontology ............................................................................................................66 2. Cultic Function ..................................................................................................71 C. Divine Abandonment ..................................................................................................75 1. Images in Warfare ..............................................................................................75 2. Divine Abandonment in Ezekiel ...........................................................................78 3 Chapter 4: THE ARK NARRATIVES ...........................................................................................81 A. Ark Narrative Scholarship ..........................................................................................81 B. The Israelite Perspective .............................................................................................84 1. ‘The Ark will Guarantee Victory’ .........................................................................84 2. Loss of the Ark ...................................................................................................88 3. Israel’s Confession and Return ............................................................................90 C. The Philistine Perspective ...........................................................................................92 1. ‘Yahweh has been Subordinated to Dagon’ ..........................................................92 2. Humiliation of Dagon and the Philistines .............................................................95 3. The Ark Returned with Gifts ................................................................................97 D. The Davidic Perspective .............................................................................................98 1. ‘Bringing the Ark to Jerusalem will Secure my Dynasty’ .......................................98 2. Yahweh Bursts Out against Uzzah .....................................................................102 3. Sacrifice and Submission ..................................................................................104 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................110 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................113 The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without the author's prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. 4 INTRODUCTION Set during the lead up to the Second World War, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark follows the quest of the titular hero as he races against fanatic members of the Nazi party to secure possession of the long lost Ark of the Covenant. He is given this mission by agents from the U.S. Army Intelligence who fear that the ark could be used as a weapon in the wrong hands. When meeting with these officials, Jones’ colleague, Marcus Brody, sheds light on the significance of the ark, explaining that ‘the Bible speaks of the ark leveling mountains and laying waste to entire regions. An army which carries the ark before it is invincible.’ Rather than simply exhibiting a healthy historical interest, the Nazis’ haste to find this mysterious object suggests that they share a similar notion of the ark’s destructive capability. In the closing scenes, all seems lost as the Nazis take possession of the ark and form a procession to a ceremony by which they mean to open it and harness the power inside. In a remarkable turn of events, however, lightning appears from within the ark and utterly destroys the surrounding soldiers and leaders who intended to manipulate this very force, leaving Jones and his companion to bring the ark back to U.S. soil where it is safely stored inside