Reading the Samuel books today

The struggle between David and Goliath, Absalom getting caught in the branches of a tree during his rebellion against David, David and Bathsheba: The First and Second Books of Samuel do not come from a single author but are traditional literature. They are thematically incredibly rich, historically highly significant, and literarily of rare beauty. Walter Dietrich describes their plot and the key characters, identifies their most important themes, and outlines their extremely diverse literary forms. He follows the main stages of their development, traces their ancient textual history, and examines the historical significance of the Samuel books. This easily readable introduction highlights the multifaceted impact history in both Judaism and Christianity, as well as in the visual arts, music, and literature. Thus, a broad arc is created from the biblical texts through historical and theological questions to references to the present.