2020-2021 Academic Catalog 
    
    Mar 29, 2024  
2020-2021 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

JS 125 - Changing Images of King David


The biblical David is one of those figures like King Arthur, Faust, and Don Juan, whose persona has fascinated people through the ages. In turn, he has been transformed by their portrayals of him. In this course, we will first do a close reading of the gripping book of Samuel and other biblical texts, using historical and literary tools to gauge David’s complex personality as presented in the Bible. Then, utilizing post-biblical legend (Jewish, Christian, and Muslim), medieval and Renaissance art, and more recent literature and film, we will see how later generations came to shape him in their own image, embodying the problems of political power, the depths of inner religious life, and the universal hopes for a transformed world.

Course Designation/Attribute: VP

Anticipated Terms Offered: Offered every year