Life and Mortality in Ugaritic

Life and Mortality in Ugaritic
Author: Matthew McAffee
Publisher: Penn State Press
Total Pages: 391
Release: 2019-12-11
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1646020383

While topics such as death, funerary cult, and the netherworld have received considerable scholarly attention in the context of the Ugaritic textual corpus, the related concept of life has been relatively neglected. Life and Mortality in Ugaritic takes as its premise that one cannot grasp the significance of mwt (“to die”) without first having wrestled with the concept of ḥyy (“to live”). In this book, Matthew McAffee takes a lexical approach to the study of life and death in the Ugaritic textual corpus. He identifies and analyzes the Ugaritic terms most commonly used to talk about life and mortality in order to construct a more representative framework of the ancient perspective on these topics, and he concludes by synthesizing the results of this lexical study into a broader literary discussion that considers, among other things, the implications for our understanding of the first-millennium Katumuwa stele from Zincirli. McAffee’s study complements previous scholarly work in this area, which has tended to rely on conceptual and theoretical treatment of mortality, and advances the discussion by providing a more focused lexical analysis of the Ugaritic terms in question. It will be of interest to Semitic scholars and those who study Ugaritic in particular, in addition to students of the culture of the ancient Levant.

'Like 'Ilu Are You Wise'

'Like 'Ilu Are You Wise'
Author: H. H. Hardy
Publisher: Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago
Total Pages: 650
Release: 2022-08-15
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 1614910766

This volume honors Dennis G. Pardee, Henry Crown Professor of Hebrew Studies in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago and one of the preeminent experts in Northwest Semitic languages and literatures, particularly Ugaritic studies. The thirty-seven essays by colleagues and former students reflect the wide range of Professor Pardee's research interests and include, among other topics, new readings of inscriptions, studies of poetic structure, and investigations of Late Bronze Age society.

Fallen Angels and Fallen Women

Fallen Angels and Fallen Women
Author: Robin Jarrell
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 207
Release: 2013-02-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1608994058

The strange and enigmatic title "son of man" has intrigued biblical scholars for millennia. What does it mean and how does it describe Jesus in his role as the Christian messiah? Robin Jarrell surveys the mythological roots of the phrase in the ancient Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh and traces its development from the mythology of the Egyptian queen Hatshepsut's birth narrative, to the Baal Cycle in Ugaritic literature, to the story of Pandora, and finally to the story of creation found in the book of Genesis. The key to unlocking the mystery of the phrase "son of man" is embedded in the story of the first "son of man"--Noah--with the reference to "the sons of God" who found wives among the "daughters of men" and whose offspring brought devastation to the earth and the reason for the flood. In the hands of the Christian gospel writers, the parallel "son of man" figure found in the Dead Sea Scrolls reemerges in the identity of the last "son of man"--Jesus of Nazareth.

Women in Ugarit and Israel

Women in Ugarit and Israel
Author: Hennie J. Marsman
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 791
Release: 2021-10-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9004493409

In this volume the presupposition is investigated whether women in a polytheistic society had a better position than women in a monotheistic society. To this end the social and religious position of women in Ugarit according to its literary texts is compared to that of women in Israel according to the Hebrew Bible, while the wider context of the ancient Near East is also taken into consideration. After an overview of feminist biblical exegesis, the book discusses the roles of women in the family and in society. It also provides an analysis of the roles of women as religious specialists and as worshippers. Finally, the data on the position of women in the literary texts is compared to that in non-literary texts.

Child Sacrifice in Ancient Israel

Child Sacrifice in Ancient Israel
Author: Heath D. Dewrell
Publisher: Penn State Press
Total Pages: 253
Release: 2017-05-23
Genre: History
ISBN: 1646022017

Among the many religious acts condemned in the Hebrew Bible, child sacrifice stands out as particularly horrifying. The idea that any group of people would willingly sacrifice their own children to their god(s) is so contrary to modern moral sensibilities that it is difficult to imagine that such a practice could have ever existed. Nonetheless, the existence of biblical condemnation of these rites attests to the fact that some ancient Israelites in fact did sacrifice their children. Indeed, a close reading of the evidence—biblical, archaeological, epigraphic, etc.—indicates that there are at least three different types of Israelite child sacrifice, each with its own history, purpose, and function. In addition to examining the historical reality of Israelite child sacrifice, Dewrell’s study also explores the biblical rhetoric condemning the practice. While nearly every tradition preserved in the Hebrew Bible rejects child sacrifice as abominable to Yahweh, the rhetorical strategies employed by the biblical writers vary to a surprising degree. Thus, even in arguing against the practice of child sacrifice, the biblical writers themselves often disagreed concerning why Yahweh condemned the rites and why they came to exist in the first place.

Sources for Ugaritic Ritual and Sacrifice: Ugaritic and Ugarit Akkadian texts

Sources for Ugaritic Ritual and Sacrifice: Ugaritic and Ugarit Akkadian texts
Author: David M. Clemens
Publisher: Ugarit Verlag
Total Pages: 1460
Release: 2001
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN:

This book compiles on nearly 1,400 pages all the sources, giving for every single text extensive information: about findspots, citations by other authors and a thorough discussings about terms and grammar problems. An introduction and a conclusion complete the book, as well in three appendices "concordances", "ritual sources" and "ritual archives and areas", followed by a selected bibliography and indices.

The Ugaritic Baal Cycle

The Ugaritic Baal Cycle
Author: Mark S. Smith
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 905
Release: 1994
Genre: Baal (Canaanite deity)
ISBN: 9004153489

The Ugaritic Baal Cycle, Volume II provides a new edition, translation and commentary on the third and fourth tablets of the Baal Cycle, the most important religious text found at Ugarit.

The Ugaritic Baal Cycle

The Ugaritic Baal Cycle
Author: Mark Smith
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 904
Release: 2009-02-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9047442326

This second volume of the commentary on the Baal Cycle, the most important Canaanite religious text from Ugarit, in Syria, analyzes KTU/CAT 1.3 and 1.4, the tablets that contain the long episode about how Baal secured permission from El to build his royal palace and how the palace was built. It includes a new edition of the tablets, supplemented by a DVD-ROM with 92 images and superimposible drawings, a comprehensive introduction, new translation and vocalized text, and detailed commentary. The authors develop an interpretation of the episode which places it into the larger context of the Baal Cycle as a whole.

Handbook of Ugaritic Studies

Handbook of Ugaritic Studies
Author: Wilfred G. E. Watson
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 922
Release: 1999-01-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9789004109889

All aspects of the ancient site of Ras Shamra (Ugarit) are treated in this compendium: discovery, decipherment of script, interpretation of literary, diplomatic and legal texts, as well as analysis of languages, history, religion and iconography. Cyrus Gordon called its archives 'the foremost literary discovery of the twentieth century' and they have undoubtedly revolutionized our knowledge of the background to Greek, Phoenician and Israelite culture.