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And here's another thing from Murphy on the Exodus plagues: "The Pharaoh's magicians had proudly imitated Moses' conjuring: they can turn rods into crocodiles too. But was it wise to demonstrate that they can as powerfully invoke a plague of frogs as the prophet of Yahweh? They are on automatic pilot. Locked into mimetic rivalry with Moses, the magicians lose their sense of survival."
At its best, Murphy's book is identifying the broad and almost slapstick humor of the Bible (her chapter on Exodus is very good in this way), which shows that the tone of the Bible is closer to the cartoonish comedy of ancient myth and the kind of Indian myth analyzed by Levi-Strauss than to the refined and crystalline mythologies of an Edith Hamilton.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 at 05:14 PM
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1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary
The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter
A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons
Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature
Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen
The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism
A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel
From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
