Outline
1. Story and Genre: Traditional Motifs and Patterns
1.1. Narrative and Traditional Patterns
1.2. Narrative: Tension and Resolution
Part I: Battle Narrative in the Ancient Near East
2. The Heroic Battle Pattern in the ancient Near East
2.1. Six Heroic Battle Narratives from the ancient Near East and Homer
2.1.1. Marduk and Tiamat in the Enūma eliš
2.1.2. Ninurta fights Anzu in the Anzu Myth
2.1.3. Gilgamesh and Ḫumbaba in the Gilgamesh Epic = Gilg.
2.1.5. Sinuhe and the Strong Man of Retenu in Sinuhe
2.1.6. Achilles and Hector in the Iliad
2.3. The Beginning: The Description of the Hero, the Threat, and Helplessness
2.4. The Middle: The Call and Commission of the Hero
2.4.2. Call, commission, and failure of the false heroes
2.4.3. The call and commission of the hero
2.4.4. Preparation for battle: the arming of the hero and muster of the army
2.4.6. Variations on a single motif or pattern
2.5. The Resolution: Victory, Plunder, and Recognition
2.5.2. The defeat of the enemy army
2.5.4. Recognition and reward of the hero
3. The Royal Battle Pattern in the Ancient Near East
3.1. The Literary Texts of Royal Battle Narratives
3.3. The Beginning: Description of the King, Threat and Helplessness
3.3.1. Description of the king
3.3.2. Enemy’s threat and power
3.3.3. Reaction of helplessness
3.4. The Middle: Call and Commission with the Preparation for Battle
3.4.1. Call and commission of the king by the helpless
3.4.2. King’s reaction of righteous indignation
3.4.3. Divine call and commission of the king
3.4.4. Preparation for battle: arming of the leader and muster of the army
3.5. The Resolution: Victory, Plunder and Recognition
3.5.1. Verbal exchange between king and enemy
3.5.2. Fight and the victory by the deity, king and army
3.5.3. The enemy’s recognition of defeat and their destruction or capture
3.5.4. Plunder, Recognition and Reward of the Deity and King
Part II: Battle Narrative in the Bible
4. The LORD and Pharaoh at the Red Sea
4.1. A description of the hero directing everything: Exod 13:17-22, 14:1-4
4.2. The enemy’s threat and false confidence: Exod 14:5-10a
4.3. The reaction of fear: Exod 14:10-12
4.4. A variation on the “call and commission: Exod 14:13-14
4.5. The divine hero commands the leader: 14:15-18
4.6. The first resolution: Israel’s escape: 14:19-22
4.7. The second resolution: the destruction of Pharaoh and the Egyptians: Exod 14:23-28
5. David and Goliath: The Heroic Pattern
5.1. The Beginning: The Enemy’s Threat and the Reaction of Fear: 1 Sam 17:1-11
5.2. The Middle: Identification and Commission of the Hero: 1 Sam 17:12-40
5.3. The End: The Victory and Recognition: 1 Sam 17:41–18:4
5.3.1. Single combat between the Hero and the Enemy: 1 Sam 17:41-52
5.3.2. Plunder and recognition: 1 Sam 17:53 – 18:4
5.3.3. Heroic friendship: 1 Sam 18:1,3-4
6. The Unlikely Human Hero
6.2. The Unlikely Heroes in the Book of Judges: Strong and Weak
6.2.2. The Left-Handed Ehud: Judg 3:12-30
6.2.3. Deborah and Jael: Judge 4-5
6.2.4. The Fearful Gideon: Judges 6-8
6.2.5. Jephthah the Chosen Outcast: Judg 10:6-11:40
7. The Royal Battle Pattern in the Biblical Tradition
7.1. The Royal Battle Pattern: King Saul against Nahash: 1 Samuel 11
7.2. The Royal Battle Pattern in Joshua 1-12
7.3. The Royal Battle Pattern in the Books of Chronicles
7.3.1. King Abijah of Judah against King Jeroboam I of Israel: 2 Chronicles 13
7.3.2. King Asa of Judah against Zerah the Ethiopian: 2 Chr 14:9-15
7.3.3. Jehoshaphat watches the enemies ambush themselves as prophesied: 2 Chr 20:1-30
7.4. Good Kings in the Books of Kings
7.4.1. Elisha strikes the Syrians blind: 2 Kgs 6:8-23
7.4.2. Jehu, anointed king, overthrows the House of Ahab: 2 Kings 9
7.5. The Conflict between King and Prophet in the Books of Kings
7.5.1. King Ahab triumphs over Ben-hadad only to be rebuked by a prophet: 1 Kgs 20:1-21,22-43
7.5.2. The king of Israel and Micaiah: 1 Kings 22 // 2 Chronicles 18:1-34
7.5.3. The Deception of Moab: 2 Kings 3
7.5.4. Benhadad’ Siege of Samaria: 2 Kgs 6:24–7:20
8. Battle Narrative and Defeat
8.1. Sin and the Traditional Battle Pattern
8.1.1. The Sin of Achan: Joshua 7
8.1.2. Jonathan the Hero and Saul, the Foolish King: 1 Samuel 14
8.1.3. Judges 9: King Abimelech, the Bad King
8.1.4. Judges 18-20: The Battle against Benjamin their Brother
8.2. History and the Traditional Battle Pattern
8.2.1. Jehoash defeats Amaziah: 2 Kgs 14:8-14 // 2 Chr 25:17-24
8.2.2. The king of Assyria defeats Rezin at the call of Ahaz: 2 Kgs 16:5-9
8.2.3. The Sennacherib Narratives: 2 Kgs 18:13-16, 17–19:37 // 2 Chr 32:1-33 // Isa 36-37
8.2.4. Josiah dies in Battle against the Pharaoh Neco: 2 Kgs 23:29-30 // 2 Chr 35:20-26
8.4.1. David. the King: 2 Samuel 9–20, 1 Kgs 1-2
8.4.2. The Tragedy of Saul: 1 Sam 13–31
