What makes a king? How does kingship differ from and overlap with other forms of leadership, and how does it relate to divine authority? Where did this practice originate, and how was it developed among the ancient Israelites? We’ll study these questions and more by looking at biblical literature, archaeological evidence, and comparative Near Eastern sources to understand how the institution of the monarchy developed in ancient Israel and Judah.
Class dates:
October 14, 21, 28
November 4, 11, 18
December 2, 9, 16
January 6
Dr. Ed Silver is a scholar of the Hebrew Bible and early Judaism. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago in 2009, and wrote his dissertation on the poetry of the Book of Jeremiah. He has taught at the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, the University of Missouri, Wellesley College, Brandeis University, and CUNY Hunter College.