Charisma and Authority in Israelite Society

Rodney R. Hutton contends that the generally presupposed antithesis between the "charismatic" and the "institutional" in the Hebrew Bible is a false dichotomy. With regard to judges, prophets, priests, royal dynasties, and sages, there is in the Old Testament an interplay of traditional, legal-rational, and charismatic impulses. An examination of the social matrices of ancient Israel with respect to each of these leadership types shows that they all exhibit aspects of the charismatic type.

Rodney R. Hutton is Professor of Old Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus.