The Law of the Heart: The Death of a Fool (1 Samuel 25)

Abstract

(ProQuest Information and Learning: Foreign text omitted) Heart (...) is principal anthropological concept in Hebrew Scriptures, occurring more than eight hundred times to describe human states and actions.1 Its adoption by NT ensured its prominence in Christian tradition. Yet heart, as intimate and reassuring as its regular beat, is faint in history of ideas, from its obscure ancient origins to William Harvey's (1578-- 1657 C.E.) precise discovery of its circulation of blood. At its origins, biblical exegesis asserts philosophical and medical knowledge of that seems anachronistic. The anatomical and truth will be question this cultural anatomy through biblical exegesis. To begin dissection: The initial entry in standard Hebrew lexicon is the quivering, pumping organ, heart.2 Yet this definition presupposes Harvey's simile of pump.3 The lexical entry substantiates statement of major biblical dictionary that governing use of heart is for bodily organ, of centrality of which as seat of life ancients had on whole correct view. The premise then assumes Harvey's discovery of its circulation of blood.4 Since in Bible phrase `the life is in blood' (Lev. 17:14), that which forms centre of its distribution must have most important place in whole system. So by easy transition 'heart' came to signify seat of man's collective energies, focus of personal life. The arrogation of Harvey's science is pressed to exact comparison. As from fleshly goes forth blood which is animal life, so from of human soul goes forth entire mental and moral activity. To it all actions of human soul return. This is explicated as circuit,5 precisely Harvey's discovery. The premise of circulation of blood throughout body from central of cannot be historically valid comparison scriptural understanding of soul or mind and its activities. Yet this fundamental error repeats. The current, revised edition of standard lexicon (1994-96) retains as prime definition the quivering, pumping organ, heart.6 Biblical dictionaries repeat that primarily is seat and principle of `the life of flesh is in blood' (Lev. 17:11), and receptacle of blood is heart.7 Heart in scripture is literalized as the physical organ or the center of physical vitality, a part of physical body.8 The biblical authors supposedly recognize physiological activity of in detail: fainting, failure, healthy action, longevity.9 Jeremiah's wildly beating (4:19) describes angina pectoris.10 Although it is conceded that as the vital that pumps blood through body, is seldom mentioned, nevertheless, Bible is believed to mention it. Several texts (2 Kgs 9:24; 2 Sam 18:14; Ps 38:10) are regularly cited as evidence of precise cardiac knowledge.ll The proof text of the physical organ is: in morning, when wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his within him, and he became as stone. And about ten days later Lord smote Nabal; and he died (1 Sam 25:37-38).12 I. The Medical Diagnosis Biblical exegesis has diagnosed cause of Nabal's death medically. He has attack, later Yahweh kills him.13 Despite acknowledgment that a clinical description of attack and its progress from mild to fatal illness was not published until William Heberden in 1768, it is asserted that Deuteronomist historian of 1 Samuel had precocious knowledge of myocardial infarction. And, despite acknowledgment that coronary thrombosis as diagnosis proved by autopsy was only published by George Dock in 1886, text is deemed an account of this disorder. …