Through this lesson the student will learn how to interpret the stories of Elijah and Elisha within the context of the Deuteronomistic History and from the perspective of a cross-cultural model of prophecy.
Bible: 1 Kings 17-19, 21; 2 Kings 1-2, 4-5, 8-10
Bellis, Helpmates, Harlots, and Heroes, pp. 164-76
Coogan, Oxford History of the Biblical World, pp. 206-41
Lecture: Elijah and Elisha
Interpret the story in either 1 Kings 17:8-24 or 2 Kings 4:8-37 within the context of the Elijah-Elisha narrative.
This essay should give particular attention to the social dynamics of prophecy (using the model of prophecy outlined in the lecture), and the prophet's interaction and relationship to other characters in the stories, especially women.
In analyzing the meaning of the story, its meaning should be placed within the context of the two main themes of the Elijah - Elisha narrative:
- The superiority of Yahweh over Baal, in its many correlations
- The miracles performed by the prophets.
Your essay should address the two-fold question: How do the social and literary roles of the characters communicate the meaning of the story, and how does this narrative contribute to the message of the Elijah - Elisha narrative?
Assess the effectiveness of the model of prophecy. Do the stories of Elijah and Elisha conform to the model? Does the model help you understand the social role of Elijah and Elisha and their relalation to audience?
Why do Elijah and Elisha prefer a patron-client relationship with the women they encounter (the Zeraphath widow and the Shunammite women)? How might these women symbolize the Israelites?
Why does the Elijah - Elisha narrative culminate in Jehu's coup? How does this episode provide the appropriate conclusion to the narrative? Whose political interests does this narrative serve? How might have this narrative originally functioned with the political/ideological conflicts in the Israelite kingdom?
Other questions for discussion are raised in the lecture.
Thomas W. Overholt. Channels of Prophecy: The Social Dynamics of Prophetic Activity. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1989.
Robert B. Coote, ed. Elijah and Elisha in Socioliterary Perspective. Atlanta: Scholars, 1992.
Thomas W. Overholt. Cultural Anthropology and the Old Testament. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996. Pp. 24-68.
