An Evil Spirit from God? Historical-Cultural Interpretation of 1 Samuel 16:14-23 With Its Relation to Mental Health
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46494/psc.v20i1.287Keywords:
Evil Spirit, Historical-Cultural, King Saul, Mental Health, 1 Samuel 16Abstract
Many Christians have, since childhood, acquired a dogmatic understanding that God cannot do anything that is not good nor evil. However, what should we do when confronted with 1 Samuel 16:14-23, which explicitly states that "an evil spirit from God" came upon Saul? This article aims to engage in a historical-cultural reading of this text and its contemporary implications for mental health issues. This research employs a qualitative approach with data collection through literature and presents it in a descriptive-analytical form. The author concludes that, when examining the text and context within 1 Samuel 16:14-23, the reading of an "evil spirit from God" is more likely to refer to the psychological condition experienced by Saul, the central character in the text.
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