a few more points
Submitted by Dirk Gently on December 25 1999 at 05:30:12
In reply to some good points Submitted by F.O.D. on December 24 1999 at 00:30:10
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Glad we can continue the conversation. Actually, I don't think that David was exaggerating his love for Jonathan. If you read the whole lament (2 Samuel 1:19-27) you'll see that it's an incredibly well-crafted piece of literature. Just what we would expect from the Psalmist, right? I believe that this is something David spent some time on, rather than just spouting off the top of his head. For that reason, I'm prepared to admit he chose his words very carefully. (For a spontaneous lament, take a look at David's response when he heard of the death of Absalom. That's immediate and raw -- shamefully so, as Joab pointed out to him. (2 Samuel 18:33-19:8)) One point that I hadn't thought about until I started babbling in my last post was that your reading of David's comment presumes that the love David and Jonathan had for one another was the same kind as men in general have for women in general, but it was in much greater measure. In other words, it was a quantitative difference, saying that their erotic love was greater than the erotic love of women. Once I had a chance to read what I had written, I realized I was arguing that their love was of a different kind -- it was qualititatively different. Rather than eros, it was agape. That's what I was trying to point to by bringing all that New Testament stuff in. I hope that made sense. I'm so tired I can't see straight. After our service ended at around 12:30, everyone trekked downstairs for coffee and sweets. And then about twenty of us younger folks (20's - 30's) decided to go out for breakfast together. That's the first time I ever tried Eggs Benedict, and even at 3:00 AM, they were very tasty. Merry Christmas! Dirk |