The Book of the Judges: An Integrated Reading

In his book, The Book of the Judges: An Integrated Reading, Barry Webb makes an intriguing comment, “Any formulation of authorial purpose would have to emerge from a consideration of the object and formal characteristics of the text as a whole, and would take account of the fact that an author may conceivably have more than one purpose, not all equally in view in any one paragraph or section.”^[1] The meaning of Webb’s statement focuses on one phrase: the text. More specifically, the object of the text pertains to the content of the final form and includes elements such as plot, theme, and character development within the text as a whole. The formal characteristics of the content pertain to the form or structure of the text and includes elements such as chiastic structures, literary devices, and canonical placement. The focus of Webb’s synchronic effort is on the rhetorical unity of the text.

In the final phrase of the quote, Webb expands his synchronic perspective by clarifying its relationship to the intent of the author. Webb asserts that the author may have multiple purposes. At this point, careful analysis is necessary. First, based on Webb’s analysis, it is difficult to separate an author’s purpose with an author’s intent. Accordingly, the assumption is that Webb assumes that the possibility exists that the author may intend a multiplicity of purposes or intentions. Second, although synchronic analysis may identify the reader as the arbiter of meaning or purpose, Webb’s statement appears to maintain that the author determines meaning. Accordingly, Webb does not appear to directly suggest that the author’s words have multiple meanings of which the reader may choose, but instead, Webb uses rhetorical criticism to argue that the author, in a given paragraph or pericope, may have multiple intentions or purposes that require communication. Examples regarding multiple intentions from the Samson narrative will commence below. Third, Webb also concludes that multiple purposes may not have equal weight. In other words, a primary theme may be the center of attention, while a secondary theme may lie in the background of the narrative. Furthermore, hints of thematic development may also occur, both textually and canonically, based on intertextual connections such as quotations, allusions, and echoes.

Webb’s approach to the book of Judges differs markedly from McKenzie’s diachronic analysis. Unlike Webb’s focus on the final form of the text, McKenzie focuses on the development of the text using diachronic methods such as literary source criticism, redaction criticism, form criticism, and historic reconstruction.^[2] Literary source criticism investigates the various sources used to develop the text rather than focusing on the final form of the text. Redaction criticism also focuses on the development of the text but focuses primarily on the involvement of editors or redactors. Form criticism analyzes the scope, the genre, and the setting of the text, which ultimately points to the text’s purpose. A nuanced distinction appears to exist between form criticism and a synchronic approach. Form criticism stands outside of the text and analyzes its constituent parts through a process of classification. With synchronic analysis, scope and genre continue to be meaningful, but the method attempts to apply the concepts to the final form of the text in a wholistic way. Finally, as opposed to focusing on the final form of the text, historical reconstruction, similar to source, redaction, and form criticism stands outside the text and analyzes its historical veracity based on archaeological data and ancient Near Eastern literature. Although Webb’s synchronic approach differs significantly from McKenzie’s diachronic approach, if the interpreter dodges the fringes, then it is possible for the approaches to complement one another.^[3] In sum, diachronic approaches focus on the development of the text by analyzing sources and redactions over time, while synchronic approaches focus on the unity of the text at a certain time with emphasis on its final form. In other words, Webb approaches the text horizontally, and McKenzie approaches the text vertically.

The two approaches, diachronic and synchronic, lead to different paths when interpreting the story of Samson. Compositionally, the diachronic perspective focuses the interpreter on the development of the narrative. For example, McKenzie investigates the potential pre-Deuteronomistic sources used by the compiler of the Samson narrative and acknowledges the scholarly debate surrounding whether the sources for each of the major judges were received as independent entities or as a collection.^[4] McKenzie then analyzes how the Deuteronomist (Dtr) compiled the sources, ordered the content, and engaged the theology politically, chronologically, and geographically.^[5] Finally, McKenzie examines the potential post-Dtr additions or redactions to the Samson narrative.^[6] Importantly, due to the distinctions between the Samson narrative and the other judges, scholars often debate whether the story of Samson was a later addition. The diachronic approach naturally points toward what may be called a paradigm of commingled distinctives. Granted, diachronic analysis has the benefit of illuminating certain distinctions. However, the risk of diachronic interpretation is that the interpreter may view the Samson narrative as a disconnected fragment added to the end of the major judges, a fragment that may be interpreted in accordance with the traditions of ancient Near Eastern literature for the sole purpose of highlighting the distinctiveness of Samson’s revenge to entertain the reader.

Alternatively, the synchronic perspective focuses the interpreter on the unity of the text. As opposed to highlighting the potential distinctions and identifying the disparate sources and redactors, Webb focuses attention on the thematic similarities. For example, Webb asserts that all six of the major episodes of the judges attend to the competition between Yahweh and the pagan gods.^[7] Furthermore, instead of focusing on the distinctions between the judges, Webb focuses on Yahweh’s consistent unpredictability in their utilization, an unpredictability that highlights the thematic thread asserting that humans have no ability to manipulate Yahweh.^[8] Accordingly, the synchronic approaches naturally point toward what may be called a paradigm of cooperative unity. In its extreme, synchronic analysis could lead to postmodern interpretations, discounted distinctions, or forced unities in texts such as the Samson narrative. However, the benefits of synchronic interpretation include placing a high value on the final form of the text, the canonical relationships, the redactional unity, and the unifying motifs. Specifically, Webb illuminates the meaning of Samson by interpreting the narrative in light of networks or patterns of unifying motifs such as Israel’s apostasy, the rise of judges, empowered women, the use of weaponry, and “an unusually high concentration of motifs which have occurred in earlier episodes.”^[9] Furthermore, narrative sections may, as Webb mentions, take account of the fact that an author may conceivably have more than one purpose. For example, the Dagon pericope may contribute to multiple thematic developments such as the risk of accommodating religion to political norms, the downward spiral of both the judges and Israel, the subversion of pagan gods, and the power of God’s sovereignty as He furthers His purposes through Samson. Although both diachronic and synchronic approaches have strengths and weaknesses, it is difficult to ignore the critical importance of the text.

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[1] Barry G. Webb, The Book of the Judges: An Integrated Reading (Eugene: Wipf and Stock, 2008), 29.

[2] Steven L. McKenzie, Introduction to the Historical Books: Strategies for Reading (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2010), 26–35.

[3] Webb, The Book of the Judges, 38–39.

[4] McKenzie, Introduction to the Historical Books, 59–60.

[5] Ibid., 63–64.

[6] Ibid., 64–66.

[7] Webb, The Book of the Judges, 166–168.

[8] Ibid., 170–174.

[9] Ibid., 176–178.

Bibliography

• McKenzie, Steven L. Introduction to the Historical Books: Strategies for Reading. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2010.
• Webb, Barry G. The Book of the Judges: An Integrated Reading. Eugene: Wipf and Stock, 2008.