THE NAZARITE
The Untold Story of Samson & Delilah
serialized fiction commencing winter 2023
Growing up, Samson and Delilah was one of my favorite bible stories. The great Israelite and strongman, able to kill a lion with his bare hands, defeat an army of one-thousand strong with the jawbone of an ass, plus many more captivating Herculean feats. Plenty of heroics to impress a young boy.
During the writing of my latest book—Thunder Falls, I make reference to Samson and Delilah, causing me to ponder it once again. What a fantastic tale of great and outrageous feats, as well as an intriguing love affair between an Israelite and a Philistine. It was this relationship that raised my brow.
Why did Samson share his sacred secret with the vixen—Delilah? A secret so dear, that his life depended upon keeping it private. Yet he tells Delilah, and by doing so, is taken captive. His eyes are gored out and he's sentenced to be sacrificed to the Philistine god—Dagon.
I imagined Delilah, armed with nothing more than her exquisite beauty, and cunning deceit, enticed the lustful Samson by pushing him beyond the limits of their love making. Why else would the Nazarite give up the key to his great strength, unless lured by forbidden, erotic desires?
Like a shark smelling blood in the water, I became driven to write this untold story. It's points a view are through the eyes of Samson, and a Philistine scribe—Mizar, whose given the task of writing upon parchment the events of Samson's life. Unlike my previous novels, Samson the Nazarite is a thirty-thousand word novella.
The Nazarite - The Untold Story of Samson & Delilah will offered as a serial. Stay tuned for its release.
A passage from The Nazarite:
“Without warning, the lion appeared before me, blocking my way. The beast glared with his golden eyes, and just like the Philistines before, his movements stalled. When he roared, his giant jaw opened slowly, allowing me to gaze at the details of his long, pink tongue, and an impressive set of glistening fangs, ready to devour me. Not wanting to lose the goat, I tied him to a vine and prepared myself for the attack.”
“Hold on Samson,” Mizar pleaded. “Let me catch up.”
I sighed, and waited while Mizar scratched out my words.
After a moment, he said, “All right, please continue.”
“Well, the lion did what lion’s do. He charged with claws extended and jaw dropped. As casual as taking a sidestep in a dance, I slid away from his assault, causing the lion to tumble and roll past me. Confused, his eyes bulging, he recovered and made himself ready to pounce once more. Just as he leapt, the farmer appeared, standing between me and the lion. Without hesitation, I shoved him aside and as I did, the lion barreled into me.”
“All right,” Mizar said, scribbling away.
“I was knocked me off my feet. Sore from the impact, but lucky I wasn’t clawed or bitten, I recovered to my feet. Before the lion could pounce once more, I leapt onto its back, grasping onto its luscious fur. With one hand, I reached around and clenched onto his upper jaw, staying clear of the fangs and with as much force as I could muster, I jerked it backwards. The lion let out an excruciating yelp. Determined not to let up, I straddled my legs onto its muscular torso, and took hold of its lower jaw. Without hesitation, I took a breath and with both hands I yanked and didn’t let go until I heard its jawbones cracking.”
“Hold on,” Mizar said.
Again, I waited until he said, “Please continue.”
“That was it,” I said with a sigh. “The poor beast laid crippled and in pain. The farmer handed me his knife and told me to put it out of its misery, which I did by lifting its enormous head and slitting open its throat.”
