King Saul famously courts a medium in 1 Samuel 28, summoning the ghostly figure of the departed Samuel in a moment of distress and disconnection with God. This summer, German researchers summoned new insight on this mysterious passage after uncovering…
How democracy dies: ‘Give us a king’
The fall of ancient Israel began almost before it rose — when the people demanded of Samuel, “Give us a king to lead us.” You can read the whole, sorry story in 1 Samuel 8. The aging prophet who had…

