The present book is a contribution to the study of the origins and development of the dying and r... more The present book is a contribution to the study of the origins and development of the dying and rising god mythologem in the second millennium BCE. As outlined in the Introduction, since the publication of James G. Frazer’s research towards the end of the nineteenth century, the scholarship has dealt extensively and continuously with the influential mythologem of the dying and rising god. The study follows this mythologem in its narrow definition (as adapted twenty years ago, particularly by Tryggve N.D. Mettinger), aiming to fill a lacuna in previous studies on this topic. Its objective is to trace the mythologem’s origins and its dissemination route amongst the ancient Near Eastern cultures.
To this end, the study examines the earliest texts attesting to the mythologem in question, all from West Asia of the second millennium BCE, including Mesopotamia, Mari, Ugarit and another Northwest Semitic culture reflected in a Hittite text. As it turns out, along with the few early texts that describe the return from the netherworld of a god who had been killed, many others attest to a different sort of a mythologem; namely, the death of a god without his revival. The scholarship of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries led many scholars through the present day to consider this variant as a part of the complex mythologem of a god dying and being resurrected. However, the extant evidence presented in this study demonstrates that the distribution of the revival concept in its early years was in fact limited...
Sixty-six colleagues, friends, and former students of Edward L. Greenstein present essays honorin... more Sixty-six colleagues, friends, and former students of Edward L. Greenstein present essays honoring him upon his retirement. Volume 1 includes essays on ancient Near Eastern studies, Biblical Hebrew and Northwest Semitic languages, and biblical law and narrative. Volume 2 includes essays on biblical wisdom and poetry, biblical reception and exegesis, and postmodern readings of the Bible.
The paper explores the doxologies in the book of Amos, arguing that they articulate
a polemical ... more The paper explores the doxologies in the book of Amos, arguing that they articulate
a polemical viewpoint distinct from prevailing biblical and ancient Near Eastern
notions about the formation of the sea, mountains, wind, and God’s abode. Central
to the comprehension of this cosmogony is the recurring phrase in Amos 5:8d and
6:9c, “(He) who summons the waters of the sea and pours them on the surface of the
earth.” While previous scholars have understood this phrase as referring to the primeval
Flood, a tsunami event, or Levantine torrential rain, the present paper suggests
a cosmogonic interpretation, in line with its context. Subsequent elements in the
same series of texts are interlinked with this portrayal, emphasizing the unified—and
polemical—perspective of the doxologies. This new explanation also has ramifications
for the dating and composition of the doxologies in the book of Amos.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.
Lines 282-306 in the work Inana's Descent to the Netherworld are the opening lines of the section... more Lines 282-306 in the work Inana's Descent to the Netherworld are the opening lines of the section situated between two literary units: the recounting of Inana's journey to the netherworld and the recounting of Dumuzi's descent to the netherworld. These lines are characterized by various textual differences, as well as multiple repetitions of the phrase "Inana ascended from the netherworld," in both the temporal and indicative clauses. By examining each one of the repetitive phrases and its adjacent paragraph, the article traces the gradual development of that passage from one sentence into a paragraph of ca. 30 lines.
The present book is a contribution to the study of the origins and development of the dying and r... more The present book is a contribution to the study of the origins and development of the dying and rising god mythologem in the second millennium BCE. As outlined in the Introduction, since the publication of James G. Frazer’s research towards the end of the nineteenth century, the scholarship has dealt extensively and continuously with the influential mythologem of the dying and rising god. The study follows this mythologem in its narrow definition (as adapted twenty years ago, particularly by Tryggve N.D. Mettinger), aiming to fill a lacuna in previous studies on this topic. Its objective is to trace the mythologem’s origins and its dissemination route amongst the ancient Near Eastern cultures.
To this end, the study examines the earliest texts attesting to the mythologem in question, all from West Asia of the second millennium BCE, including Mesopotamia, Mari, Ugarit and another Northwest Semitic culture reflected in a Hittite text. As it turns out, along with the few early texts that describe the return from the netherworld of a god who had been killed, many others attest to a different sort of a mythologem; namely, the death of a god without his revival. The scholarship of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries led many scholars through the present day to consider this variant as a part of the complex mythologem of a god dying and being resurrected. However, the extant evidence presented in this study demonstrates that the distribution of the revival concept in its early years was in fact limited...
Sixty-six colleagues, friends, and former students of Edward L. Greenstein present essays honorin... more Sixty-six colleagues, friends, and former students of Edward L. Greenstein present essays honoring him upon his retirement. Volume 1 includes essays on ancient Near Eastern studies, Biblical Hebrew and Northwest Semitic languages, and biblical law and narrative. Volume 2 includes essays on biblical wisdom and poetry, biblical reception and exegesis, and postmodern readings of the Bible.
The paper explores the doxologies in the book of Amos, arguing that they articulate
a polemical ... more The paper explores the doxologies in the book of Amos, arguing that they articulate
a polemical viewpoint distinct from prevailing biblical and ancient Near Eastern
notions about the formation of the sea, mountains, wind, and God’s abode. Central
to the comprehension of this cosmogony is the recurring phrase in Amos 5:8d and
6:9c, “(He) who summons the waters of the sea and pours them on the surface of the
earth.” While previous scholars have understood this phrase as referring to the primeval
Flood, a tsunami event, or Levantine torrential rain, the present paper suggests
a cosmogonic interpretation, in line with its context. Subsequent elements in the
same series of texts are interlinked with this portrayal, emphasizing the unified—and
polemical—perspective of the doxologies. This new explanation also has ramifications
for the dating and composition of the doxologies in the book of Amos.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.
Lines 282-306 in the work Inana's Descent to the Netherworld are the opening lines of the section... more Lines 282-306 in the work Inana's Descent to the Netherworld are the opening lines of the section situated between two literary units: the recounting of Inana's journey to the netherworld and the recounting of Dumuzi's descent to the netherworld. These lines are characterized by various textual differences, as well as multiple repetitions of the phrase "Inana ascended from the netherworld," in both the temporal and indicative clauses. By examining each one of the repetitive phrases and its adjacent paragraph, the article traces the gradual development of that passage from one sentence into a paragraph of ca. 30 lines.
Uploads
Books
To this end, the study examines the earliest texts attesting to the mythologem in question, all from West Asia of the second millennium BCE, including Mesopotamia, Mari, Ugarit and another Northwest Semitic culture reflected in a Hittite text. As it turns out, along with the few early texts that describe the return from the netherworld of a god who had been killed, many others attest to a different sort of a mythologem; namely, the death of a god without his revival. The scholarship of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries led many scholars through the present day to consider this variant as a part of the complex mythologem of a god dying and being resurrected. However, the extant evidence presented in this study demonstrates that the distribution of the revival concept in its early years was in fact limited...
Papers
a polemical viewpoint distinct from prevailing biblical and ancient Near Eastern
notions about the formation of the sea, mountains, wind, and God’s abode. Central
to the comprehension of this cosmogony is the recurring phrase in Amos 5:8d and
6:9c, “(He) who summons the waters of the sea and pours them on the surface of the
earth.” While previous scholars have understood this phrase as referring to the primeval
Flood, a tsunami event, or Levantine torrential rain, the present paper suggests
a cosmogonic interpretation, in line with its context. Subsequent elements in the
same series of texts are interlinked with this portrayal, emphasizing the unified—and
polemical—perspective of the doxologies. This new explanation also has ramifications
for the dating and composition of the doxologies in the book of Amos.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.
To this end, the study examines the earliest texts attesting to the mythologem in question, all from West Asia of the second millennium BCE, including Mesopotamia, Mari, Ugarit and another Northwest Semitic culture reflected in a Hittite text. As it turns out, along with the few early texts that describe the return from the netherworld of a god who had been killed, many others attest to a different sort of a mythologem; namely, the death of a god without his revival. The scholarship of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries led many scholars through the present day to consider this variant as a part of the complex mythologem of a god dying and being resurrected. However, the extant evidence presented in this study demonstrates that the distribution of the revival concept in its early years was in fact limited...
a polemical viewpoint distinct from prevailing biblical and ancient Near Eastern
notions about the formation of the sea, mountains, wind, and God’s abode. Central
to the comprehension of this cosmogony is the recurring phrase in Amos 5:8d and
6:9c, “(He) who summons the waters of the sea and pours them on the surface of the
earth.” While previous scholars have understood this phrase as referring to the primeval
Flood, a tsunami event, or Levantine torrential rain, the present paper suggests
a cosmogonic interpretation, in line with its context. Subsequent elements in the
same series of texts are interlinked with this portrayal, emphasizing the unified—and
polemical—perspective of the doxologies. This new explanation also has ramifications
for the dating and composition of the doxologies in the book of Amos.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.