Download or read book Mesopotamian Civilization and the Origins of the New Testament written by Robin Baker and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2022-06-30 with total page 505 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Redefines conceptions of the New Testament's origins by illuminating the East's contribution to the formation of early Christology. This book provides a missing link between scholarship on the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East and scholarship on the New Testament and early Christianity.
Download or read book Mesopotamia and the Bible written by Mark W. Chavalas and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2003-12-01 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study of Syro-Mesopotamian civilization has greatly advanced in the past twenty-five years. In particular the renewed interest in Eastern (or 'Mesopotamian') Syria has radically altered our understanding of not only the ancient Near East, but of the Bible as well. With Syria east of the Euphrates becoming one of the most active areas of archaeological investigation in the entire Near East, the need for a synthesis of this research and its integration with the Hebrew Bible has greatly increased.This volume charts the state of our knowledge, following a general chronological flow, and will appeal not only to scholars of the ancient Near East but also to Biblical specialists interested in the historical and religious backgrounds to the Israelite and Judahite kingdoms.
Download or read book Mesopotamia and the Bible written by Mark W. Chavalas and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2003-01-01 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study of Syro-Mesopotamian civilization has greatly advanced in the past twenty-five years. In particular the renewed interest in Eastern (or Mesopotamian) Syria has radically altered our understanding of not only the ancient Near East, but of the Bible as well. With Syria east of the Euphrates becoming one of the most active areas of archaeological investigation in the entire Near East, the need for a synthesis of this research and its integration with the Hebrew Bible has greatly increased.This volume charts the state of our knowledge, following a general chronological flow, and will appeal not only to scholars of the ancient Near East but also to Biblical specialists interested in the historical and religious backgrounds to the Israelite and Judahite kingdoms.
Download or read book Secrecy and the Gods written by Alan Lenzi and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Secrecy and the Gods is a comparative mythological study of the human reception and treatment of divine secret knowledge in ancient Mesopotamia and biblical Israel. The human royal council was the social model for ancient ideas about divine knowledge being secret - just as human kings had secrets so too did the gods. Diviners who received this knowledge from the gods in an on-going, ad hoc manner were an essential link between the divine assembly and the human royal council for whom such knowledge was intended. Scribes eventually adapted the ad hoc divinatory means of receiving divine communications to their culturally significant texts. By discursively asserting a historical connection between themselves and unique mediators with a close divine affiliation (the apkallus and Moses), the scribes constructed myths that legitimated their texts as divine revelation and claimed these were received in history through normal scribal channels. In this manner, scribes fixed the secret of the gods permanently among humans in textualized form that valorized their own position within society. Although the origin of divine secret knowledge was rooted in a common mythological idea of the divine assembly, its treatment was quite distinct. The Mesopotamians guarded divine secret knowledge through various scribal means, including the attachment of a Geheimwissen colophon to certain tablets (treated exhaustively), whereas biblical Israel published it openly. The contrast in treatment of divine secret knowledge was directly related to different mytho-political self-understandings: Mesopotamia's imperial aspirations versus biblical Israel's vassaldom. As vassals to Yahweh, the divine imperial king, the kings of Judah and Israel as presented in the biblical material were not to formulate secret orders; they were only to obey them.
Download or read book The Decline of Ancient Mesopotamian Civilization written by Xina M. Uhl and published by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. This book was released on 2016-07-15 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It may be hard to wrap one’s head around how such a thriving people as the ancient Mesopotamians could fall. This volume offers readers a detailed overview of how this complex and intriguing people declined from their previous prosperity. Readers will journey through the ebb and flow of the civilization, taking in information about the various factors that ultimately worked against them. The text explains the natural causes, such as drought, the structural issues, and invasions that led to the downfall of a civilization that nevertheless offers a lasting legacy.
Download or read book Sumer written by Charles River Charles River Editors and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-03-26 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures *Includes ancient accounts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading When American archaeologists discovered a collection of cuneiform tablets in Iraq in the late 19th century, they were confronted with a language and a people who were at the time only scarcely known to even the most knowledgeable scholars of ancient Mesopotamia: the Sumerians. The exploits and achievements of other Mesopotamian peoples, such as the Assyrians and Babylonians, were already known to a large segment of the population through the Old Testament and the nascent field of Near Eastern studies had unraveled the enigma of the Akkadian language that was widely used throughout the region in ancient times, but the discovery of the Sumerian tablets brought to light the existence of the Sumerian culture, which was the oldest of all the Mesopotamian cultures. Although the Sumerians continue to get second or even third billing compared to the Babylonians and Assyrians, perhaps because they never built an empire as great as the Assyrians or established a city as enduring and great as Babylon, they were the people who provided the template of civilization that all later Mesopotamians built upon. The Sumerians are credited with being the first people to invent writing, libraries, cities, and schools in Mesopotamia (Ziskind 1972, 34), and many would argue that they were the first people to create and do those things anywhere in world. For a people so great it is unfortunate that their accomplishments and contributions, not only to Mesopotamian civilization but to civilization in general, largely go unnoticed by the majority of the public. Perhaps the Sumerians were victims of their own success; they gradually entered the historical record, established a fine civilization, and then slowly submerged into the cultural patchwork of their surroundings. They also never suffered a great and sudden collapse like other peoples of the ancient Near East, such as the Hittites, Assyrians and Neo-Babylonians did. A close examination of Sumerian culture and chronology reveals that the Sumerians set the cultural tone in Mesopotamia for several centuries in the realms of politics/governments, arts, literature, and religion. Even today, the world owes the Sumerians a tremendous amount. When Western Europe was still in the Stone Age, it was the Sumerians who invented writing and the wheel, divided time into minutes and seconds, tamed nature, and built gigantic cities. They embraced culture and the arts, and their caravans crossed the desert, opening up the first trade routes. Their myths and legends inspired various origin stories, and their memory lives on in the Old Testament. They wrote the history of the birth of mankind. The heritage of the Sumerian civilization and their successors is everywhere. Sumer: The History of the Cities and Culture that Established Ancient Mesopotamia's First Civilization chronicles the most important people, places, and events that took place across Sumer. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Sumer like never before.
Download or read book The Garden of Eden Myth written by Walter Mattfeld and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2010-11-01 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scholarly proposals are presented for the pre-biblical origin in Mesopotamian myths of the Garden of Eden story. Some Liberal PhD scholars (1854-2010) embracing an Anthropological viewpoint have proposed that the Hebrews have recast earlier motifs appearing in Mesopotamian myths. Eden's garden is understood to be a recast of the gods' city-gardens in the Sumerian Edin, the floodplain of Lower Mesopotamia. It is understood that the Hebrews in the book of Genesis are refuting the Mesopotamian account of why Man was created and his relationship with his Creators (the gods and goddesses). They deny that Man is a sinner and rebel because he was made in the image of gods and goddesses who were themselves sinners and rebels, who made man to be their agricultural slave to grow and harvest their food and feed it to them in temple sacrifices thereby ending the need of the gods to toil for their food in the city-gardens of Edin in ancient Sumer.
Download or read book Reception of Mesopotamia on Film written by Maria de Fatima Rosa and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2021-10-12 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explore an insightful account of the reception of Mesopotamia in modern cinema In Reception of Mesopotamia on Film, Dr. Maria de Fátima Rosa explores how the Ancient Mesopotamian civilization was portrayed by the movie industry, especially in America and Italy, and how it was used to convey analogies between ancient and contemporary cultural and moral contexts. Spanning a period that stretches from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day, the book explores how the Assyrian and Babylonian elites, particularly kings, queens, and priestesses, were perceived and represented on screen by filmmakers. A focus on the role played by Ancient Near Eastern women and on the polytheistic religion practiced in the land between the rivers will be provided. This book also offers an insightful interpretation of the bias message that most of these films portray and how the Mesopotamian past and Antiquity brought to light and stimulated the debate on emerging 20th century political and social issues. The book also offers: A thorough introduction to the Old Testament paradigm and the romanticism of classical authors A comprehensive exploration of the literary reception of the Mesopotamian legacy and its staging Practical discussions of the rediscovery, appropriation, and visual reproduction of Assyria and Babylonia In-depth examinations of cinematic genres and cinematographic contexts Perfect for students of the history of antiquity and cinematographic history, Reception of Mesopotamia on Film is also an invaluable resource for anyone with an interest in reception studies.
Download or read book Ancient Mesopotamia written by A. Leo Oppenheim and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2013-01-31 with total page 494 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This splendid work of scholarship . . . sums up with economy and power all that the written record so far deciphered has to tell about the ancient and complementary civilizations of Babylon and Assyria."—Edward B. Garside, New York Times Book Review Ancient Mesopotamia—the area now called Iraq—has received less attention than ancient Egypt and other long-extinct and more spectacular civilizations. But numerous small clay tablets buried in the desert soil for thousands of years make it possible for us to know more about the people of ancient Mesopotamia than any other land in the early Near East. Professor Oppenheim, who studied these tablets for more than thirty years, used his intimate knowledge of long-dead languages to put together a distinctively personal picture of the Mesopotamians of some three thousand years ago. Following Oppenheim's death, Erica Reiner used the author's outline to complete the revisions he had begun. "To any serious student of Mesopotamian civilization, this is one of the most valuable books ever written."—Leonard Cottrell, Book Week "Leo Oppenheim has made a bold, brave, pioneering attempt to present a synthesis of the vast mass of philological and archaeological data that have accumulated over the past hundred years in the field of Assyriological research."—Samuel Noah Kramer, Archaeology A. Leo Oppenheim, one of the most distinguished Assyriologists of our time, was editor in charge of the Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute and John A. Wilson Professor of Oriental Studies at the University of Chicago.
Download or read book Readings from the Ancient Near East written by Bill T. Arnold and published by Baker Academic. This book was released on 2002-09 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comprehensive, up-to-date collection of primary source documents (creation accounts, epic literature, etc.) gives insight into the Ancient Near East and the Old Testament.
Download or read book From the Stone Age to Abraham written by Alan Dickin and published by . This book was released on 2021-07-29 with total page 357 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most histories of the ancient world include the subject of religion. It may even play an important part in the story. But most authors also assume that these religious beliefs were human inventions. In contrast, the Bible describes a long history of True Religion before Abraham, and claims that the descendants of Adam worshipped the same God as the God of Abraham. This book examines scientific, archaeological and written evidence from ancient Mesopotamia to understand the origins of Biblical Religion, and traces the development of this religion from the Stone Age to Abraham. The result is a new understanding of the role of religion in the origins of civilization and the history of the ancient world.
Download or read book Wisdom Literature in Mesopotamia and Israel written by Richard J. Clifford and published by Society of Biblical Lit. This book was released on 2007 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The last fifty years have seen a dramatic increase of interest in the wisdom literature of the Bible, as scholars have come to appreciate the subtlety and originality of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes as well as of Sirach and Wisdom of Solomon. Interest has likewise grown in the wisdom literatures of the neighboring cultures of Canaan, Egypt, and especially Mesopotamia. To help readers understand the place of biblical wisdom within this broader context, including its originality and distinctiveness, this volume offers a collection of essays by Assyriologists and biblicists on the social, intellectual, and literary setting of Mesopotamian wisdom; on specific wisdom texts; and on key themes common to both Mesopotamian and biblical culture. --From publisher's description.
Download or read book Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia written by Stephen Bertman and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2005-07-14 with total page 410 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Modern-day archaeological discoveries in the Near East continue to illuminate man's understanding of the ancient world. This illustrated handbook describes the culture, history, and people of Mesopotamia, as well as their struggle for survival and happiness.
Download or read book Who Were the Babylonians written by Bill T. Arnold and published by SBL Press. This book was released on 2019-01-15 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This engaging and informative introduction to the the Babylonians were important not only because of their many historical contacts with ancient Israel but because they and their predecessors, the Sumerians, established the philosophical and social infrastructure for most of Western Asia for nearly two millennia. Beginning and advanced students as well as biblical scholars and interested nonspecialists will read this introduction to the history and culture of the Babylonians with interest and profit.
Download or read book The Ancient Near East written by Dr. John L. McLaughlin and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2012-10-01 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The cultures of the great empires of the ancient Near East from Egypt to Mesopotamia influenced Israel's religion, literature, and laws because of Israel's geographic location and political position situation. Anyone who wishes to understand the Old Testament texts and the history of ancient Israel must become familiar with the history, literature, and society of the surrounding kingdoms that at times controlled the region. Brief in presentation yet broad in scope, Ancient Near East will introduce students to the information and ideas essential to understanding the texts of the Old Testament while clarifying difficult issues concerning the relationship between Israel and its neighbors. Abingdon Essential Guides fulfill the need for brief, substantive, yet highly accessible introductions to the core disciplines in biblical, theological, and religious studies.
Download or read book The Sumerians written by Charles River Charles River Editors and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-01-11 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures *Includes links to online sources like the Epic of Gilgamesh and more *Includes primary sources written by the ancient Sumerians *Includes a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents When American archaeologists discovered a collection of cuneiform tablets in Iraq in the late 19th century, they were confronted with a language and a people who were at the time only scarcely known to even the most knowledgeable scholars of ancient Mesopotamia: the Sumerians. The exploits and achievements of other Mesopotamian peoples, such as the Assyrians and Babylonians, were already known to a large segment of the population through the Old Testament and the nascent field of Near Eastern studies had unraveled the enigma of the Akkadian language that was widely used throughout the region in ancient times, but the discovery of the Sumerian tablets brought to light the existence of the Sumerian culture, which was the oldest of all the Mesopotamian cultures. Although the Sumerians continue to get second or even third billing compared to the Babylonians and Assyrians, perhaps because they never built an empire as great as the Assyrians or established a city as enduring and great as Babylon, they were the people who provided the template of civilization that all later Mesopotamians built upon. The Sumerians are credited with being the first people to invent writing, libraries, cities, and schools in Mesopotamia (Ziskind 1972, 34), and many would argue that they were the first people to create and do those things anywhere in world. For a people so great it is unfortunate that their accomplishments and contributions, not only to Mesopotamian civilization but to civilization in general, largely go unnoticed by the majority of the public. Perhaps the Sumerians were victims of their own success; they gradually entered the historical record, established a fine civilization, and then slowly submerged into the cultural patchwork of their surroundings. They also never suffered a great and sudden collapse like other peoples of the ancient Near East, such as the Hittites, Assyrians and Neo-Babylonians did. A close examination of Sumerian culture and chronology reveals that the Sumerians set the cultural tone in Mesopotamia for several centuries in the realms of politics/governments, arts, literature, and religion. The Sumerians were truly a great people whose legacy continued long after they were gone. The Sumerians: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Mesopotamian Empire that Established Civilization traces the history and legacy of Sumer across several centuries. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the history of the Sumerians like never before, in no time at all.
Download or read book Prophets and Prophecy in the Ancient Near East written by Martti Nissinen and published by Society of Biblical Lit. This book was released on 2003 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Prophecy was a widespread phenomenon, not only in ancient Israel but in the ancient Near East as a whole. This is the first book to gather the available ancient Near Eastern, extra-biblical sources containing prophetic words or references to prophetic activities. Among the 140 texts included in this volume are oracles of prophets, personal letters, formal inscriptions, and administrative documents from ancient Mesopotamia and Levant from the second and first millennia B.C.E. Most of the texts come from Mari and Assyria. In addition, the volume provides new translations of the relevant section of the Egyptian Report of Wenamon, by Robert K. Ritner, and of various texts from Syria-Palestine containing allusions to prophets and prophetic activities, by C.L. Seow. By collecting and presenting evidence of the activities of prophets and the phenomenon of prophecy from all over the ancient Near East, the volume illumines the cultural background of biblical prophecy and its parallels. It provides scholars of the history, religions, and cultural traditions of the ancient Near East with important information about different types and forms of transmissions of divine words, and makes these valuable primary source materials accessible to students and general readers in contemporary English along with transcriptions of the original languages, indexes, and extensive bibliography.
