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In this week’s episode, Pete and Jared take a close look at the call of David and the battle with Goliath (1 Samuel 16-17) to show how these biblical stories already portray David as a morally complex character from the beginning. These stories also tell us something of the intricate and layered nature of biblical storytelling.

Tweetables

Pithy, shareable, less-than-280-character statements you can share. 

  • “This isn’t about saying ‘gotcha moments’ to the Bible. It’s actually saying if we look closely this is a very nuanced and sophisticated book.” @jbyas
  • “A lot of what biblical scholarship does is it asks questions of origins, like where do these stories come from and who put them together like this?” @peteenns

Cover art: David raises the head of Goliath as illustrated by Josephine Pollard (1899)

Pete Enns, Ph.D.

Peter Enns (Ph.D., Harvard University) is Abram S. Clemens professor of biblical studies at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. He has written numerous books, including The Bible Tells Me So, The Sin of Certainty, and How the Bible Actually Works. Tweets at @peteenns.