EDWARD'S LECTURE NOTES:
More notes at http://tanguay.info/learntracker
C O U R S E 
Jesus in Scripture and Tradition
Gary Anderson, University of Notre Dame
https://www.edx.org/course/jesus-scripture-tradition-notredamex-th120-1x
C O U R S E   L E C T U R E 
The Problematic of Chosenness: Samuel and Joseph
Notes taken on September 11, 2015 by Edward Tanguay
Samuel
many parallels between Samuel and Joseph
like Joseph
Samuel is about to be elevated to a position of high authority
Samuel's elevation is going to come at the cost of someone else
replaces the priest Eli
Eli's sons had misused their priestly privileges
so God decided to end this priestly house's service within the temple
God revealed the grounds for that to Samuel in a vision
1 Samuel, 3:2
Lord keeps calling Samuel
Samuel goes to Eli multiple times
is sent back to bed
then Lord gives Samuel a prophecy of what will happen
will fulfill against Eli, will punish his house forever
a disturbing vision for Samuel about the man he is in service to
just as with Joseph who had had dreams which he knows will disturb his brothers
and disturbed his family
but Joseph presumably enjoyed revealing this dreams so his brothers could revel in their pain
Samuel, however, acts differently
he lay until morning, and was afraid to tell the vision to Eli
Samuel knows that the verdict is just, but he still feels for the man he serves
only because Eli forces Samuel does Samuel reveal his vision
this contrasts starkly with Joseph's behavior who was all too eager to let his brothers in on his dreams
if Joseph had been more like Samuel, he probably would have kept his dreams to himself
how do we interpret Joseph's and Samuels different behaviors
through the lens of Israel's understanding of itself as a chosen nation
reveals to us how the Bible reveals the category of chosenness
the problematic of chosenness
Jon D. Levenson
Biblical scholar
the story of Joseph is the most sustained and the most profound exploration of the problematic of chosenness
a central theological concept not only of ancient Israel, but of rabbinic Judaism and Christianity
derives from the disparity between the frailty of the human ego and the mysterious operations of the choosing Deity
human nature is not constituted so as to facilitate the acceptance of chosenness
the one chosen is sorely tempted to interpret his special status as a mandate for domination
those not chosen are unlikely to view their status with grace and quiet acceptance
the challenge of the unchosen is to play their subordinate role with grace and the due regard for the common good
it is in the demeanor of Jacob that the well-being of the family is communicated
Jacob is absorbed with inconsolable grief thinking that Joseph is dead through his brothers' ruse, it is clear that neither the chosen nor the unchosen have met their distinctive but equally arduous challenges
chosenness seems to have proven fatal not only for the chosen but for the common good, leaving in emotional ruin the family it has touched
regarding Israel's self identity
election as we have looked at it so far in the stories of Joseph and Samuel, seems to be an arbitrary acquisition of power by one group over another
leads to tension and perhaps violence
the reader must ask:
does God really intend this?
what is God doing by elevating certain people in this fashion?