View Auction Listing - David Findet Abisag: Roman

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Bidding Information
Lot #		18447
Auction End Date		7/10/2007 11:00:00 AM (mm/dd/yyyy)

Title Information

Title (English)

David Findet Abisag: Roman

Author

[First Ed.] Theodor Heinrich Mayer

City

Leipzig

Publisher

L. Staackmann Verlag

Publication Date

1925

Collection Information

Independent Item

This listing is an independent item not part of any collection

Description Information

Physical
Description

First edition. Frontispiece, 243, [1] p. 184:128 mm., light age staining. A very goodcopy bound in later boards. Colored illustration on the interior cover page.

Paragraph 1

A novel on the Biblical story of David and Abisag (Abishag) by Theodor Heinrich Mayer (b.1884) who is also the author of numerous other books including: Deutscher im Osten, Roman (Leipzig, 1932), Von einem Haus und einer Apotheke. Eine Wiener Chronik (Wien, 1945), Vom gedanken zur tat, novellen aus der geschichte werktätigen schaffens (Munich, 1942) and many others.

Detailed
Description

Abisag the Shunammite: an unmarried girl who was chosen to serve as housekeeper and bed companion to David in the hope that her fresh beauty would induce some warmth in the old man (I Kings 1:1–4, 15). When Solomon became king, Adonijah, whose life he had spared although he could not but regard him as a dangerous rival, asked Bath-Sheba, Solomon's mother, to intercede on his behalf for permission to marry Abishag. Solomon interpreted this request for the former king's concubine as a bid for the throne and had Adonijah killed (I Kings 2:13–25). Some see in Abishag, who is described as “very fair” (I Kings 1:4), the Shulammite of the Song of Songs (Shulammite being regarded as the same as Shunammite).

The aggadah identifies Abishag as the Shunammite who gave hospitality to Elisha the prophet . It relates that she was not half as beautiful as Sarah (Sanh. 39b). The fact that David did not make Abishag his legal wife is explained as due to his refusal to exceed the traditional number of wives (18) allowed to a king (Sanh. 22a, and Rashi, ibid.). Solomon's action is also vindicated on the grounds that the request made by Adonijah to be permitted to marry Abishag (I Kings 2:13ff.) represented a true threat to Solomon's position, as it is only the king, and not a commoner, who is allowed to make use of the servants of the deceased king (Sanh. 22a).

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