THE GIBEONITE EXCEPTION
Gil Rosenberg
ABSTRACT
In this article I read the narrative of the Gibeonites’ deception in Joshua 9 with the help of Giorgio Agamben’s logic of sovereignty and the work of other contemporary political theorists. I argue that the Gibeonites are simultaneously included and excluded from political life, and as such they exemplify the paradox of sovereignty which Agamben describes. However, they also exhibit the complexities of sovereignty that are highlighted by one of Agamben’s critics, William Connolly. My paper can be read as a literary interpretation of Joshua 9 or as a test case or exemplar for the political theories with which I engage.
KEYWORDS
Giorgio Agamben; Joshua 9; Deuteronomy 20; Deuteronomy 29; Gibeonites;
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