The monograph produces a new interpretation of the opening chapter of 1 Samuel by combining several hermeneutical models, including the theory of chaotic (dynamically unstable) systems and the most recent, essentially post-modern, form criticism, to produce a new interpretation of the opening chapters of 1 Samuel. It argues that 1 Samuel 1-8 is an integral literary unit whose stance on such pivotal issues as monarchy and cultic centralization poorly agrees with that of the balance of Deuteronomy - Kings. In the diachronic perspective, this unit can be construed as a post-Deuteronomistic redactional interpolation polemically directed against several planks of the Deuteronomic/Deuteronomistic agenda. In the synchronic perspective, the pattern of relationship between 1 Samuel 1-8 and the balance of Genesis - Kings calls for a non-linear, multi-dimensional reading of the corpus. Both interpretational trajectories lead to the conclusion that the thrust of the Former Prophets in its final form is controlled to a considerable extent by non-Deuteronomistic elements.

This commentary is the eighteenth published volume in The Forms of the Old Testament Literature (FOTL), a series that aims to present a form-critical analysis of the books and units in the Hebrew Bible. Serge Frolov's valuable study of Judges, addressing both synchronic and diachronic perspectives, offers the first full-scale form-critical treatment of Judges since 1922 and represents an important application of form criticism as practiced today. Fundamentally exegetical, Frolov's work examines the structure, genre, setting, and intention of Judges. Focusing on the canonical Hebrew text, Frolov argues that what we know as the book of Judges is not a literary unit but rather a series of interconnected units that are for the most part closely linked to adjoining books. In particular, he shows how the sequence -apostasy-oppression-repentance-deliverance- traverses the boundary between Judges and Samuel. Frolov also analyzes the history behind the form-critical discussion of this book and exposes the exegetical process so as to enable students and pastors to engage in their own analysis and interpretation of Judges.

Both personal and scholarly in tone, this book encourages readers to think theologically, ethically, and politically about the statement that declares: "God loves diversity and justice." The multi-religious, multi-ethnic, multi-disciplinary, and multi-gendered identities of the eleven contributors and two respondents deepen the conversation. It considers questions such as: Do we affirm or challenge this theological statement? Do we concentrate on "God" in our response or do we interrogate what diversity and justice mean in light of God's love for diversity and justice? Alternatively, do we prefer to ponder the verb, to love, and consider what it might mean for society if people really believed in a divinity loving diversity and justice? Of course, there are no easy and simple answers whether we consult the Sikh scriptures, the Bible, the Qur'an, the movies, the Declaration of Human Rights, or the transgender movement, but the effort is worthwhile. The result is a serious historical, literary, cultural, and religious discourse that fends against intellectually rigid thought and simplistic belief systems across the religious spectrum. In our world in which so much military unrest and violence, economic inequities, and religious strife prevail, such a conversation nurtures theological, ethical, and political possibilities of inclusion and justice.