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Better Than Esdras is a blog about the Bible. By an atheist. Why would an atheist care about the Bible? Well, because the Bible is pretty awesome.
No really.
I'm spending 2011 reading the Bible (not the KJV, sue me) so updates are pretty infrequent.
My next major post will be on the prophets Elijah and Elisha, or maybe some chick named Ḥawwah.
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Category Archives: Judges
Oklahoma Atheists Godcast: Judges
The group Oklahoma Atheists invited me to join their KJV discussion podcast, the “Weekly Inebriated Scriptural Exegesis And Source Study”. Despite not being from Oklahoma, and having a slight case of the sniffles, I joined the fray for a tour of … Continue reading
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Judges 19-21: It’s All About the Benjaminites
The last three chapters of Judges all revolve around Gibeah, a town in Benjamin. These chapters are closely interrelated. Chapter 19 is rare in that it consists of a single coherent narrative- I see almost no sign of editing. Chapter … Continue reading
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Judges 17-18: An Ephod and Teraphim
17 The next Judge is… uh… well, nobody. The rest of the Book of Judges is judgeless. They really did forsake Yahweh this time, huh? Chapters 17 and 18 are a weird amalgamation of several stories about Micah the Ephraimite, his nebulously identified priest, … Continue reading
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Judges 14-16: Samson!
Three chapters are devoted to the wild and crazy adventures of the He-Man from Mahaneh-dan. According to the OSE, “modern criticism considers these stories choice examples of early Israelite folklore.” The story of Samson and Delilaha is the most well-known … Continue reading
Judges 11-13: שבלת שמבלת
11 (cont.) I got so bogged down in stupid analyzation in my last post that I didn’t even finish the chapter. There is one section of Jephthah’s story left, and it’s the most well known. (otherwise I’d just get on … Continue reading
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Judges 11: The J in Jephthah
11 You probably know the Book of Judges formula by now. Insert “Jephthah the Gileadite” as the savior of Israel, and “Ammonites” as the requisite evil other in need of slaughter. Chapter 11 consists of three sections. I won’t guess about the … Continue reading
Judges 8-10
8 As noted in the previous post, there is a fragmentary bit of text stuck in at 7:22b-8:3. Verse 8.4 has Gideon chasing down the Midianites in what is either the original continuation of the weird jar-torch escapade, or a separate tale. … Continue reading
Judges 6 & 7: A Smidgen of Gideon.
6 Judges now introduces a relatively important character, who will carry us through the next three chapters: Gideon, also known as Jerubbaal. He’s a folk-hero renowned for destroying the altar of Baal, killing lots of Midianites, and having really trippy … Continue reading
Judges 4 & 5: Champions there were none.
4 Judges 4 and 5 both tell the tale of Deborah, Barak, and the assassination of Sisera. Each chapter is a unique take on the same story: the first being prose, the second being poem or song. The tale is set in … Continue reading
Judges 1-3
1 With Joshua dead (OR IS HE?) the narrative momentarily reverts to the brothers Judah and Simeon. These are classic personified-tribe characters from Genesis. They played a major role in the great Joseph in Egypt story from the 2nd half … Continue reading
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