Sons or Lovers: Interpreting David and Jonathan's Friendship

Rowe examines David and Jonathan's friendship in the context
of what ancient readers would have understood as the ‘natural' loyalty to their
families. Rowe focuses on the conflicting moral goods between which the men
choose, seeking to understand the dynamics of the narrative consonant with
ancient society.

Rowe discusses theoretical issues of interpretation and
summarises how Bakhtin's theory of heteroglossic voices can be utilised to
understand the narrative. He deliberates over the key aspects of family life in
the world described by the Old Testament, surveys approaches to the study of
the family among anthropologists and, finally, states how anthropology can
inform the interpretation of the biblical text. Starting from the concept of
‘hegemonic masculinity', Rowe examines how men in general are presented
positively, and then shows how Jonathan, David and Saul measure up to these
standards. Rowe concludes that although Jonathan was disloyal to his family,
something that implied readers would have censured, the books of Samuel present
this disloyalty as honourable, thus making a theological point about fidelity
to the house of David.

Dr Jonathan Y. Rowe (PhD, St Andrews) is Director of Development and Staff Tutor, South Western Ministry Training Course, UK.