David's Secret Demons: Messiah, Murderer, Traitor, King (The Bible in Its World) [BARGAIN PRICE] (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a dazzling display of erudition, Halpern, chairman of Jewish studies at Pennsylvania State University, dissects the story of David with sparkling, witty prose, using historical, textual, psychological and archaeological analysis. Brandishing his broad knowledge, Halpern mentions Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, Mark Twain, Gregory Peck, Richard Gere, Bill Cosby, Joseph Heller, Disraeli and Hannibal Lecter, among others. He comments critically on the biblical narrative found in 1 and 2 Samuel and the second chapter of 1 Kings, asserting that it is contradictory, exaggerated and riddled with omissions. Conventional perceptions of David fault him for his affair with Bathsheba and for arranging the death of her husband, but generally portray him as a handsome, brave shepherd who became king and established Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Halpern elaborates and exploits the story of Bathsheba to paint David as a villain. He methodically demolishes any positive image of David, calling him a serial killer, thug, mercenary, adulterer, assassin, bandit, brigand and predator. Many sources are given to support these allegations but, surprisingly, Halpern fails to cite Robert Alter's excellent The David Story, which contains a full-blooded portrait of the Machiavellian king. While Halpern's picture of David is largely negative, he presents him as a complex biblical character who was "the first human being in world literature" but "not someone whom it would be wise to invite to dinner." Although Halpern forfeits accessibility by using such words as topos, paronomastically, circumvallations, therapon, epanalepsis, merismus, adyton and imbrication, this is an outstanding study.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Halpern (Jewish studies, Pennsylvania State Univ.) has given us a scholarly, fascinating, and controversial study of the figure of David in the Hebrew Scriptures. He does not doubt the actual existence of a historical figure named David, as does Thomas Thompson in his Early History of the Israelite People (Brill, 2001). However, he argues that the historical David was a far different person than the one pictured in 1 and 2 Second Samuel. The controversial nature of this study can be seen in the title of one of the chapters: "King David, Serial Killer." Halpern presents a close textual analysis of the stories about David in 1 Samuel 8 through 2 Samuel 1, along with a special study of 2 Samuel 8. He builds his case around the idea that there were two sources, identified here as A and B, which were used for the final versions of 1 and 2 Samuel. While Source A shows some of his faults, Source B is a kind of whitewashing apology for David in order to justify the kingship of Solomon and his successors. The real David, Halpern thinks, was a ruthless individual who was willing to murder or have murdered all of Saul's family so that he could secure the throne. Sure to receive much scholarly attention, Halpern's work can be profitably read by lay persons and scholars alike. Recommended for both public and academic libraries. David Bourquin, California State Univ., San Bernardino
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• ISBN-10: 0802844782
• ASIN: B000FA4UQ0
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,955,000 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing New History of David, August 15, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: David's Secret Demons: Messiah, Murderer, Traitor, King (The Bible in Its World) (Hardcover)

Every so often, a scholar emerges in a particular field to reinvigorate it with a flash of brilliance. Baruch Halpern is one such scholar. Recently in the field of Biblical Studies, open warfare has erupted over whether the biblical record of Israel's past is anything more than a well-written romance, whether the Bible contains material useful to the modern historian. Halpern turns the historian's lense on the biblical portrait of David, and provides positive answers to these questions in a tour de force that is witty, learned, and hugely entertaining. Halpern shows that the main narratives about David, in Samuel and the first chapters of Kings, preserve a nearly contemporary effort to vindicate the king from the calumnies hurled by his erstwhile enemies and their supporters (since most of the enemies "wake up dead"). Two principles of historical reconstruction distinguish Halpern's work. The first is the idea that the voices of David's opponents can still be heard if the historian engages in imaginative reconstruction. The second, the product of Halpern's immense erudition and familiarity with other Near Eastern historical literature, is that royal scribes in Israel and the Near East are not free to give false testimony about their lieges' accomplishments. The scribes may try to lead the reader to the grandest possible interpretation of even minimal accomplishments, by tolerating or even promoting ambiguity, but they can't spin their reconstruction out of whole cloth. The logic of these principles leads Halpern to reconsider the extent of David's "empire," which the text would have us think was extremely vast. It also leads to a portrait of the king that shines with a duller veneer than the one David's (and Solomon's) apologists apply. What is finally so interesting in this book is that it allows the reader to enter the biblical text in the company of an agile, imaginative historian. The reader can laugh with Halpern (the comparison of the shepherd boy armed with sling to the Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's court almost killed me), can admire the sophistication of the biblical writers, and can appreciate anew the complexities in the account of David. The sheer pleasure of reading Halpern's book may delay the recognition that this is history writing at its best, but make no mistake. The biblical writers asserted repeatedly that "God was with David." This reviewer was led to conclude that Clio the Muse is with Halpern. This is a remarkable book that leaves others recently written about David looking rather pallid by comparison.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revisionist history?, May 17, 2003

By	FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

This review is from: David's Secret Demons: Messiah, Murderer, Traitor, King (The Bible in Its World) (Hardcover)

Some see David as a mythological figure. Certainly the image projected of him and the shadow this character casts over subsequent Israelite and biblical history is one of mythic proportions. Partly the constructs around David have become so strangely skewed that one asks the question, as the literature both in the biblical texts and later developments can lead one to asking the question, 'can any one man have been or done all this?'

Halpern addresses this question in this book By looking at the latest archaeological evidence, Halpern concludes that the character our David is based upon was most likely a real character. But, how much similarity is there between the real David and the David of later biblical writers? How much is legend? Will the real David please stand up?

Halpern takes the reader on a journey through various questions, and part of the different questions can be discerned from the title of the book: David's Secret Demons: Messiah, Murderer, Traitor, King. One issue with which to contend is the diversity of voices in the biblical text itself. The portrayal of early Israelite history in the Bible is not a uniform, seamless construction. The Chronicles relay different information than the historical cycles that runs through the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings. Even when they relay the same information, they do so with differing interpretations behind motives and outcomes.

David is an intriguing figure. While being held up as the exemplary King of Israel to whom all others must be compared, he is at the same time shown to have some devastatingly human failings. The number of people that David kills, for instance, Halpern contends would earn any modern politician the label of serial killer. David's loyalty to Saul and to Israel is, through much of David's early career, never complete and never without question: consider this - suppose, during the height of the Cold War, a popular American general decided to reside the USSR because he had a difficulty with the President, and even helped them in a few military operations against American interests. When that President was gone, he returned to the United States. Is it likely the Americans would welcome him back, much less make him the new President? And yet, this is close to the scenario presented in the biblical texts - David goes to reside with the Philistines. The biblical writers work hard to justify his actions, but some seem to stretch beyond reason looking for this justification. Of course, we know from the later writer of Ruth that David has some non-Israelite ancestry. Could it be more than just from that line of the lineage? Could David have actually been part Philistine, sufficient to have a reasonable expectation of their help? And why, if David does become the leader of the Kingdom of Israel at the height of its power, does he never finish off the Philistines, long considered the mortal enemy of Israel?

These are but a few of the very intriguing questions Halpern addresses. In one of the final sections, Halpern reconstructs a life of David based on various assumptions and readings which make various assertions plausible and understandable. Like any reconstruction of modern history taken from biblical and legendary texts and sources, there are numerous points of contention. Yet this is a construction and set of conclusions worthy of study and debate.

Another point of interest is the succession - David's reign was never a peaceful one, and with so many sons running around waiting for a chance to reign, it is no wonder there would be strife. Was the succession of Solomon, however, David's own design, or has history been revised to legitimise Solomon? Certainly in modern convention we have a difficult time understanding the nuanced behaviours of the characters involved in the story. One question that can be asked - was Solomon in fact David's own son?

Professor Baruch Halpern teaches ancient history, classics, religious studies and Jewish studies at Pennsylvania State University. He has also been the co-director of the Megiddo Expedition since 1994 (Megiddo is the Hebrew word for what in English is usually called Armageddon, an actual place in Israel). He has written extensively in the area of the Bible and history, with particular emphasis on the monarchy of ancient Israel.

This is a very interesting book, bound to give interesting questions and fuel conversations for Jewish and Christian people of every background. Even if you disagree with it on multiple levels, it raises significant issues worthy of consideration.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Through Enemies' Eyes, June 21, 2001

By	Jillian Schendel (Toronto, Ontario) - See all my reviews

This review is from: David's Secret Demons: Messiah, Murderer, Traitor, King (The Bible in Its World) (Hardcover)

Scholars seem to have believed for about twenty years that David was a murderer, but this book goes even further. It portrays David's life through the eyes of his enemies. This is a wonderful historical exercise; it lets the author understand how big David's empire really was, as Halpern peals away the layers of exaggeration to show how royal literature truly worked. What really surprised me was that this is the first time I have ever read a reasonable explanation of why the story about David and Bathsheba is told. The whole book is surprising, to the very end. Short sections of it, especially about the geography, were a little dense, but the author has provided lots of maps to give the reader guidance, and all the details are necessary to the argument. Some parts are really funny. And the history as it unfolds is very interesting, mainly about important political events. All in all, this was an enjoyable and educational book, which taught me a lot about how historians have to think.