This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Evans, P. S. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

The Hezekiah—Sennacherib Narrative as Polyphonic Text*

Ambrose University College, 150 Ambrose Circle SW Calgary, AB T3H 0L5, Canada

2 Kings 18—19 is commonly viewed as an incoherent narrative composed of multiple sources, necessitating a diachronic approach. However, this hypothesis is only a heuristic model suggesting we read the pericope in this way. This article instead takes a Bakhtinian approach, viewing 2 Kings 18—19 as a polyphonic composition which accounts for both the disjunctions within the narrative and its unity. Viewed as a dialogue of genres (history-like narrative, direct speech and prophetic oracle) in implicit dialogue, this narrative is `dialogic' as different voices intersect in this pericope, revealing a plurality of viewpoints. A Bakhtinian approach not only allows a fresh exegesis of the narrative but also has implications regarding the composition of the narrative, allowing the Deuteronomist more creativity than is often the case.

Key Words: 2 Kings 18—19 • Bakhtin • dialogism • polyphony • Hezekiah • Sennacherib • the Deuteronomist.

Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Vol. 33, No. 3, 335-358 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0309089209102500


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?