The role of the poor and marginal characters in the book of Kings: A rhetorical analysis of 2 Kings 2--8 and 13:14--21

This dissertation investigates the role of the poor and marginal characters in the Elisha narratives. It follows the methodology of the Spanish Old Testament scholar, Luis Alonso Schokel (1920--1998). Accordingly, the biblical text is read in its three dimensions: literary, historical, and theological.; The stories of Elisha belong to the Israel of the ninth century B.C. There is no scholarly consensus regarding the history of their composition and the time of their incorporation in the book of Kings. There is also disagreement among scholars concerning when, where, and if these narratives were edited by some Deuteronomistic redactor. This has obvious implications for determining the audience of the book. What is evident in these narratives is the disproportionate concentration of poor people in very extreme and desperate situations. These conditions are the result of wars, poor leadership, and natural disasters.; Since there has been no convincing argument regarding the literary coherence of these narratives, I divided them into three groups according to length and nature: brief miracle stories, stories of personal transformation, and stories of war. The analysis shows that the poor and marginal characters are consistently open to the ways of God, whereas the kings of Israel consistently do not believe that God can do anything for them or for the people under their care.; In the stories of transformation, "important people" undergo a process of transformation, and end up recognizing their need of God and his prophet. I demonstrate that it is the marginal characters who keep the story moving and lead others in the direction that God and Elisha point. Again, this is read in contrast to socially important individuals (kings, Naaman, the Shunammite woman) who either think do not need God or have no hope in him.; Consequently, the unfaithfulness of the kings of Israel should not only be measured according to the formulas at the beginning and at the end of their reigns, but also in contrast to the actions of the poor and marginal characters in the Elisha narratives. In these stories the word of God comes true both as salvation and as judgment.