Beowulf David And Christ

Great literature is enduring. Enduring literature is loved for generations because it deals with enduring themes. It deals with themes that touch our common humanity; themes that enlighten our understanding and broaden our experience. Sometimes these literary works take the form of narrative – even fictional stories. No matter the form, if it is a noble work, it will endure. We all like stories, maybe because we are all a part of the greatest story ever told. I believe it is this that makes Beowulf such an enduring classic. Even though its author is unknown, his work has been loved and celebrated since its birth in the mid-seventh or late tenth century. Beowulf endures because it deals with the most noble, enduring theme of all; salvation. Beowulf, like King David, was a Christ figure, and both, though figures of great courage who were saviors in their own right, point to the Savior of Mankind, Christ himself. Beowulf. King David. The parallels are striking. They were both unlikely saviors. David was young when he killed Goliath: 1 Samuel 17:12-15 says that David was the youngest of eight sons, and the three oldest had followed Saul into battle. David was at home, tending his father’s sheep. When David announced to Saul that he wanted to kill Goliath the giant, Saul told him, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth” (1Sam. 17:33). Likewise, it was said of Beowulf, “He had been poorly regarded for a long time, was taken by the Geats for less than he was worth: and their lord too had never much esteemed him in the mead-hall. They firmly believed that he lacked force, that the prince was a weakling; but presently every affront to his deserving was reversed” (Lines 2183-2189). Parallels can also be drawn from the way they slayed their foes. David felled a giant, Goliath, with a sling and one of five smooth stones he took from a brook. After Goliath fell, David took his