Power and Politics in the Book of Judges: Men and Women of Valor

by John C. Yoder

Overview

Power and Politics in the Book of Judges studies political culture and behavior in premonarchic Israel, focusing on the protagonists in the book of Judges. Although the sixth-century BCE Deuteronomistic editor portrayed them as moral champions and called them “judges,” the original bardic storytellers and the men and women of valor themselves were preoccupied with the problem of gaining and maintaining political power. John C. Yoder considers the variety of strategies the men and women of valor used to gain and consolidate their power, including the use of violence, the redistribution of patronage, and the control of the labor and reproductive capacity of subordinates. They relied heavily, however, on other strategies that did not deplete their wealth or require the constant exercise of force: mobilizing and dispensing indigenous knowledge, cultivating a reputation for reliability and honor, and positioning themselves as skillful mediators between the realms of earth and heaven, using their association with Y

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781451496628
Publisher:	Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
Publication date:	05/01/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

John C. Yoder, recently retired, taught history and political science and directed the Peace Studies Program at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. He has published studies of oral traditions and political cultures in Africa, including Popular Political Culture, Civil Society, and State Crisis in Liberia (2003).