Tragedy and Biblical Narrative

Using insights about ancient and modern tragedy this study offers challenging and provocative new readings of selected Biblical narratives: the story of Israel''s first king Saul rejected for his disobedience to God and driven to madness; the story of Jephthah''s sacrifice of his daughter in fulfillment of his vow to offer God a sacrifice in return for military victory; and the story of Israel''s most famous king David whose tragedy lies in the burden of divine judgement that falls on his house as a consequence of his sins. The book discusses how these narratives handle such perennial tragic issues as guilt suffering and evil.