David's Secret Demons: Messiah, Murderer, Traitor, King (The Bible in Its World)

A leading scholar of biblical history and the ancient Near East, Baruch Halpern traces the development of the David tradition, showing how the image of David grew over time. According to Halpern, David was the founder of the dynasty that progressively exaggerated his accomplishments. Halpern's clear portrait of the historical David reveals his true humanity and shows him to be above all a politician who operated in a rough-and-tumble environment in which competitors were ready literally to slit throats.

David's Secret Demons explores a number of provocative questions:

Did King David actually exist?
Was David an Israelite or a Philistine?
Was Solomon really David's son?
Did David take the throne of Israel by the consent of the people?
How many murders did he commit on his way to the throne?
Are the biblical texts about David reliable?

Challenging, well argued, and written with accessible, at times humorous prose, David's Secret Demons will provoke discussion by scholars and general readers alike.