Jezebel as an Archetype

If one attempts to reconstruct the life and activity of Jezebel as revealed by the writer(s) of II Kings according to the paradigm Darr presents in his 1992 book, On Character Building: The Reader and the Rhetoric of Characterization in Luke-Acts (Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press), it may be possible to obtain a portrait of Jezebel which is somewhat different from what has become commonly accepted. A brief overview of Darr is warranted here.

Darr's methodology departs from traditional historical critical method of textual analysis, a process which:

is essentially one of detection through dissection: one disassembles the text into the blocks of material (sources, forms, redactional glosses) from which it was ostensibly cobbled, and then analyzes these discrete pieces for clues about origins, environments, and stages of development.

The historical critical methods were well-designed for their specific tasks, and they have greatly increased our understanding of earliest Christiani

. . .
r husband's low spirit, Jezebel entreats him: "Do you now govern Israel? Arise, and eat bread, and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite" (I Kings 21:7). Jezebel then writes letters in Ahab's name, and with his seal, to the rulers in Jezreel, and requests them to "Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people; and set two base fellows opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, 'You have cursed God and the king.' Then take him out, and stone him to death" (I Kings 21:9-10). The instructions are carried-out precisely, and word is returned to Jezebel that Naboth is dead. After she reports this to Ahab, the king goes out to take possession of the vineyard. And it is here that Ahab once again encounters Elijah, who has been sent with a prophesy from the Lord (see I Kings 21:17-19). Announcing to Ahab that the Lord will utterly destroy the line of Ahab--"the dogs shall eat Jezebel within the bounds of Jezreel," and that anyone of Ahab's family "who dies in the city the dogs shall eat; and any one of his who dies in the open country the birds of the air shall eat" (I Kings 21:23-24)--Elijah's words have a profound effect on Ahab, who "rent his clothes
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
II Kings, Knox Press, Baal Asherah, I-II Kings, Accordingly Olyan, BCE Metzger, Gazette July, Jezebel Naboth, Exile Judah, According Darr, frost 1964, ii kings, olyan 1985, , metzger 1965, i-ii kings, interpreter's bible 1954, carmichael 1985, asserts jezebel, kings israel, university press, westminster/john knox press, ky westminster/john knox, vol xx april, louisville ky westminster/john,
Approximate Word count = 4043
Approximate Pages = 16 (250 words per page)