3rd Annual Academic Symposium - David Priddy

The stories of Elijah have captured the imagination of many readers for ages, as the tales are bursting with dramatic actions, from the miraculous to the violent, revolving around passionate characters in constant tension, and complex relation, with one another. In fact, the tensions between characters, of what they want and will, drive the narrative. Many scholars have identified the significance of multiple polarities within the text and how they contribute to our understanding of the Elijah stories. Namely, polarity moves the plot, and the characters are set into motion between the poles—thus, polarity proves to be essential to interpretation. In this essay, I assert that the polarity between Jezebel and Yahweh is the governing dichotomy, before all other polarities within the Elijah narratives. The Jezebel-Yahweh polarity is established as the governing polarity through the use of dynamic characterization and the motif of satiation, as well as potent moments of irony. Attentiveness to this polarity bears witness to a literary unity between these often demarcated stories, the power and politics of satiation in the life of Israel, and chiefly, the monotheism expected of Yahweh’s people is more than worshipping Yahweh and forsaking other gods, but requires the forsaking of earthly powers that infringe upon the kingship of Yahweh.