Source and Revision in the Narratives of David's Transfer of the Ark

This book evaluates the relationship between "Samuel" and "Chronicles" in a single synoptic story: David's transfer of Israel's sacred ark to Jerusalem in "2 Samuel 6" and "1 Chronicles 13, 15-16". Chapter one surveys areas of research related to "Samuel" and "Chronicles". Rezetko summarises research and perspectives on these books and their stories of David's ark transfer. The review highlights competing approaches to "Samuel" which center on either sources or composition and on either a diachronic or synchronic methodology. Chapter two surveys issues related to synchronic and diachronic approaches to "Samuel" and "Chronicles". The writer suggests that the impasse between these competing approaches may be resolved by the textual-exegetical approach, that is, by using text-critical controls on redactional arguments.Finally, it is stated that the principal text-critical aim in this book is the detection of earlier and later forms of biblical texts or stories, or to state it differently, the discovery of earlier and later stages in their editorial histories. Using the aforementioned insights and methodologies, chapters three through six closely examine "2 Samuel 6" and the synoptic portions of "1 Chronicles 13, 15-16". All these interconnected adjustments point to successive editorial interventions over a substantial period of time and their cumulative appearance and objective may be labelled a literary layer. The book concludes with observations regarding the implications of the present investigation for the theories of A G Auld.