The Balaam Cantos

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Balaam, one of the seven gentile prophets, was to curse Israel on orders of Balak, the king of Moab. After a first attempt at Baal, a second attempt attempt at Pisgah and a third attempt at Peor, building seven alters at each peak, Balaam guided by Yahweh continues to bless his targets instead. He is pictured as having one blind eye and one lame foot, a symbol of his corruption with which he attempts to entice the Israelites. Balaam, in contrast to Moses is a seer of multiple gods and also considered a forecaster of impending destruction (maybe his own at the age of Christ by stoning, burning, decapitation and strangling). The Balaam Cantos revisit Balaam and the complexities of the story, offering new approaches to make modern an ancient set of texts.

• Alpha
• Beta
• Gamma
• Delta
• Epsilon
• Zeta
• Eta
• Balaam’s First Dream
• Balaam’s Second Dream
• Balaam’s Third Dream
• The First Principle
• The Second Principle
• The Third Principle
• On Waking
• The First Oracle
• The Second Oracle
• The Third Oracle
• Switching Israel
• First Variation
• Second Variation
• Third Variation