While this post is an introduction, the first post will be about the quest for extrabiblical sources on King David, the second will be a look at McKenzie’s reconstruction of the Historical David and the third will be a brief response to his approach. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. The conventional, laudatory image of David as a simple shepherd boy who courageously slew Goliath and rose to become Israel's greatest king despite some human failings is disputed by McKenzie.The following is my introduction to a three post-series on the following book: The conventional, laudatory image of David as a simple shepherd boy who courageously slew Goliath and rose to become Israel's greatest king despite some human failings is disputed by McKenzie. es historical analysis of the texts, augmented by archaeology and the immense body of scholarship about the ancient Middle East, to create a plausible real-life portrait of the figure who gets more space in the Bible than anybody, Moses and Jesus included.A spirited analysis. McKenzie's portrait of David is both convincing and disturbing. remarkable book.McKenzie brings to bear all the analytical tools of the modern historian.We see a darker and more realistic David and a more troubling biblical history. The New York Times Book ReviewĪ provocative look at a complex biblical figure.McKenzie uses biblical texts and recent archaeological discoveries to paint a searing portrait of the 'real' King David.

David's story, writes McKenzie, 'reads like a modern soap opera, with plenty of sex, violence, and struggles for power.'

Throughout his scandalous reign, important figures who stood in his way died at convenient times, under questionable circumstances. While instituting a full-blown Middle Eastern monarchy, David was an aggressive leader, a devious politician, and a ruthless war chief. Similarly, McKenzie reveals how David's ascent to power, traditionally attributed to popularity and divine blessing, in fact resulted from a campaign of terror and assassination. McKenzie shows that the story of humble beginnings is utterly misleading: 'shepherd' is a metaphor for 'king,' and David came from a wealthy, upper-class background. This David was not the humble shepherd who slew Goliath and became king, however, but was a usurper, adulterer, and murderer-a Middle Eastern despot of a familiar type. McKenzie concludes that David was indeed a real person. Through a close and critical reading of biblical texts, ancient history, and recent archeological discoveries, Steven L. Oxford Research Encyclopedias: Global Public Health.

The European Society of Cardiology Series.

Oxford Commentaries on International Law.

King David by Steven L. McKenzie