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URIEL SIMON, Reading Prophetic Narratives (tr. Lenn J. Schramm; Indiana Studies in Biblical Literature; Bloomington/Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1997). Pp. xx + 264. $49.95.
This detailed and intriguing work represents years of thought and meticulous analysis as well as a fresh reading of several familiar prophetic narratives found in the OT. Simon opens his study with a carefully crafted preface in which he asserts that "biblical stories were meant for readers, not critics"; hence, that "any criticism must be based on reading" (p. xiii). He is strong in his claim that while the relationship between reading and criticism is "reciprocal," neither can be practiced "simultaneously" (p. xiii). Furthermore, he distinguishes between trying to reconstruct what actually happened historically and reading the story itself for all its literary richness.
In chap. 1, "The Birth of Samuel: Miracle and Vow, Divine Gift and Maternal Consecration," S. examines I Sam 1:1-28; 2:11 a; and 2:18-21 a. He first establishes the parameters of the story and then points out how the story of Samuel's birth is linked to other passages within the Book of Samuel. S. highlights three structural principles that add cohesion to the narrative account of Samuel's...