Shoenfeld Netta, Strous Rael D
Beer Yaakov Mental Health Center, Beer Yaakov, Israel.
Isr Med Assoc J. 2008 Mar;10(3):196-201.
The biblical story of Samson may be understood at various levels and from different perspectives. Since the story of Samson in the Bible is sketchily drawn, the interpretations of the narrative are numerous. One version, according to David Grossman, a contemporary writer and liberal Israeli political activist, regards Samson critically, viewing him as a tormented individual who opts to end his life in order to end his suffering. Another version is that of Ze'ev Jabotinsky, a twentieth century author and nationalistic Jewish political activist, who regards Samson as a heroic figure exemplifying the ultimate Jewish hero who killed himself to help his people. While suicide is considered a tragic event, viewed as the outcome of an unstable state of mind from a psychopathological point of view, and a controversial issue in Judaism (as in other religions), there is value in examining how each of these authors explains the act. Since the personal and political opinions of the authors influenced their interpretations, the discussion will briefly expound on their biographies. A comparison between their two versions of the narrative will be made. A word of caution is introduced regarding the merits and demerits of artistic and creative analysis of the biblical narrative.
《圣经》中参孙的故事可以从不同层面、不同视角来理解。由于《圣经》中参孙的故事描述简略，对该叙事的解读众多。当代作家兼以色列自由派政治活动家大卫·格罗斯曼的一种解读对参孙持批判态度，将他视为一个备受折磨的人，为结束痛苦而选择结束自己的生命。另一种解读来自20世纪作家兼犹太民族主义政治活动家泽夫·雅博廷斯基，他认为参孙是一个英雄人物，是为帮助自己的民族而自杀的终极犹太英雄典范。虽然自杀被视为一个悲剧事件，从精神病理学角度看是不稳定心理状态的结果，且在犹太教（如同在其他宗教中一样）是一个有争议的问题，但审视每位作者如何解释这一行为仍有价值。由于作者的个人和政治观点影响了他们的解读，本文将简要阐述他们的生平。将对他们对该叙事的两种解读进行比较。同时还会就对《圣经》叙事进行艺术和创造性分析的优缺点提出一点警示。
