![]() ![]() ![]() This is my problem with popular history: There's a lot of this book that's pure speculation, fueled by the author's apparent self satisfaction at creating a portrait of King David as a sort of ruthless-yet-pathetic prototype for contemporary middle-eastern strongmen. Not as bad a genre as true crime, maybe, or god forbid, narrative romantic non-fiction, but. Even his own sons were not spared.ĭavid'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 "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. ![]()
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