Profiles in Family and Public Leadership: Telling Leaders in the Hebrew Bible - Hardcover

by Mark S. Smith (Author)

The Bible tells its story about leaders and leadership in terms of three socio-political axes: by domain (familial and public); by gender (male and female); and by position (socio-political heads such as warriors and kings versus intermediaries such as prophets and diviners). The Bible only rarely idealizes Israel's leaders, such as Moses and David. Instead, it emphasizes the impact of the family on both family leaders and public leaders.

This book initially focuses on Genesis, with a look at a major moment in the life of three great family ancestors: Abraham, Rebecca and Jacob. The second part of the book focuses on public leaders, particularly prophets, warriors and kings and the parallels between warrior commissions and stories of prophetic calls that suggest an interconnected literary relationship. Finally, the book highlights four features that inform the stories discussed in this book: authorship, attractiveness, authority, and anonymity.

Profiles in Family and Public Leadership explores how the Bible creates the model and mold for leaders and leadership through the lens of family. Mark S. Smith examines the varying degrees in which God is involved in the leaders' lives and emphasizes the interconnective relationships between the stories of family and those of leaders.

Author Biography

Mark S. Smith is Helena Professor of Old Testament Literature and Exegesis at Princeton Theological Seminary and Skirball Professor Emeritus of Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at New York University. He holds degrees from The Johns Hopkins University, The Catholic University of America, Harvard Divinity School, and Yale University. A past president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America, Smith has received multiple awards and has written eighteen books and many other works.