| How Do We Make Biblical Stories Relevant to Modern Readers? |
Does David Still Play Before You?Moshe Dor, 1965Trans. Denis Johnson Does David still play before you On the golden harp? [2] And Solomon, Does he still invent In your hearing His fox fables? [3] And from which field does Elijah Take off in a chariot of fire and with horses of fire? [4] And Ezekiel, What being hammers him, with what creature Does he struggle in the stormy, shining substance? [5] Among curls of incense, [6] Does still to forgive and to love Plead the face, paler than a cloud Of Jesus with the Yellow Star? And from out which savage Bible Of erupting, extinguished suns Do your hands—hardened in the arteries, grope regretfully to tear up [7] Disappointed promises? Biblical References:[2] David’s music (1 Sam 16:23):Whenever the [evil] spirit from God was upon Saul, David would take the harp and play it; so Saul would find relief and feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him. [3] Solomon’s fables (I Kgs 5:12):He spoke three thousand proverbs; and his songs were a thousand and five. [4] Elijah’s ascent to heaven (II Kgs 2:11):As they kept on walking and talking, a fiery chariot with fiery horses suddenly appeared and separated one from the other; and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. [5] Ezekiel’s heavenly vision (Ezekiel 1):4 I looked, and lo, a stormy wind came sweeping out of the north—a huge cloud and flashing fire, surrounded by a radiance; and in the center of it, in the center of the fire, a gleam as of amber. 5 In the center of it were also the figures of four creatures. And this was their appearance: They had the figures of human beings... 8 They had human hands below their wings. The four of them had their faces and their wings on their four sides... 24 When they moved, I could hear the sound of their wings like the sound of mighty waves, like the sound of Shaddai, a noise of tumult like the din of an army... [6] Sacrifice imagery (Leviticus 16:12):And he [Aaron] shall take a panful of glowing coals scooped from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it behind the curtain. [7] Biblical connotations of קרע (I Kings 11:11 and 2 Kings 22:11):The Lord said to Solomon, “Because you are guilty of this—you have not kept my covenant and the laws which I enjoined upon you—I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants. When the king heard the words of the book of the Law, he rent his clothes [in mourning]. Questions to consider:• From the Bible, Dor cites examples of: a) creations of human imagination and b) interactions between human and divine. Why these particular examples? Are there other events of this sort that would be appropriate here? Compiled by Shira Wallach
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