Ancient history Books

Book SynopsisThis classic work on literary criticism by Professor Adele Berlin introduces the reader to the colorful world of poetics (literary conventions) used in the construction of biblical narratives. Her book is divided into 6 parts: Poetics and Interpretation, Character and Characterization, Point of View, Poetics in the Book of Ruth, Poetic Interpretation and Historical-Critical Methods, and The Art of Biblical Narrative.Table of ContentsPREFACEI. POETICS AND INTERPRETATIONII. CHARACTER AND CHARACTERIZATIONCharacter TypesMichalBathsheba in 2 Samuel 11Bathsheba and Abishag in 1 Kings 1-2AbigailSummary of Character TypesDavid and His WomenCharacterizationDescriptionInner LifeSpeech and ActionsContrastCombining Characterization TechniquesIII. POINT OF VIEWNarrative with Multiple Points of ViewThe Poetics of Point of ViewThe Narrator’s VoiceCharacters’ Point of View1. Naming2. Inner Life3. The Term hinneh4. Circumstantial Clauses5. Direct Disourse and Narration6. Alternative ExpressionsCombining Points of ViewIV. POETICS IN THE BOOK OF RUTHCharactersTypes of CharactersNamingThe Uses of the Word hinnehQuoting Previously Unreported SpeechThe Narrator’s PresenceNarrative Structure1. The Abstract2. Orientation3. Complicating Action4. Evaluation5. Result or Resolution6. CodaV. POETIC INTERPRETATION AND HISTORICAL-CRITICAL METHODSSource CriticismForm CriticismThe Gilgamesh EpicVI. THE ART OF BIBLICAL NARRATIVEABBREVIATIONSNOTESNotes to Chapter INotes to Chapter IINotes to Chapter IIINotes to Chapter IVNotes to Chapter VNotes to Chapter VIBIBLIOGRAPHYINDEXESIndex of Biblical PassagesIndex of AuthorsIndex of Subjects

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Book SynopsisThis collection of essays composed by an international array of friends and colleagues typifies the career accomplishments and scholarly endeavors of W. G. Lambert.Table of ContentsConception, Contraception, and Abortion in Ancient Mesopotamia - R. D. Biggssurpu II, III, IV und VIII in ‘Partitur’ - Rykle BorgerEin altbabylonischer Gilgames-Text aus Nippur - Antoine Cavigneaux und Johannes RengerFrom the Epistolary of the Edubba - Miguel CivilInanna, le bon augure de Samsuiluna - J. J. A. Van DijkU 7804 // UET VI/1 26: ‘Gedicht von der Hacke’ - Dietz Otto EdzardOn Late Babylonian Medical Training - Irving L. FinkelIncipits and Rubrics - M. J. GellerFour Temple Rituals from Babylon - A. R. GeorgeMurmuring in Mesopotamia - A. Kirk GraysonAstronomical Cuneiform Texts in the Birmingham City Museum - Wayne HorowitzNingiszida’s Boat-Ride to Hades - Thorkild Jacobsen and Bendt AlsterA Compendium of Gall-Bladder Omens Extant in Middle Babylonian, Nineveh, and Seleucid Versions - Ulla JeyesOn the Organized Release of Doves to Secure Compliance of a Higher Authority - A. LivingstoneDie Fruhjahrsfeierlichkeiten in Assur - Stefan M. MaulEarly Zodiologia and Related Matters - Erica ReinerA New Look at Some Old Catalogues - Aaron ShafferEnkidu—the Noble Savage? - Aage Westenholz and Ulla Koch-Westenholz

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Book SynopsisThis collection of essays contextualizes the history and current state of the social science method in the study of the Hebrew Bible. Part 1 traces the rise of social science criticism by reprinting classic essays on the topic; Part 2 provides “case studies,” examples of application of the methods to biblical studies.Table of ContentsSeries PrefaceEditors’ PrefaceAbbreviations‘Introduction’Charles E. Carter - A Discipline in Transition: The Contributions of the Social Sciences to the Study of the Hebrew Bible‘Part 1: Anthropologists, Sociologists, and the Biblical World’IntroductionWilliam Robertson Smith - Sacrifice: Preliminary SurveyMax Weber - Ancient JudaismAntonin Causse - From an Ethnic Group to a Religious Community: The Sociological Problem of JudaismMary Douglas - The Abominations of LeviticusMarvin Harris - The Abominable PigGeorge E. Mendenhall - The Hebrew Conquest of PalestineNorman K. Gottwald - Domain Assumptions and Societal Models in the Study of Pre-Monarchic IsraelGary A. Anderson - Sacrifices and Offerings in Ancient Israel: An IntroductionRobert Oden - Historical Understanding and Understanding the Religion of IsraelGary A. Herion - The Impact of Modern and Social Science Assumptions on the Reconstruction of Israelite HistoryAndrew D. H. Mayes - Idealism and Materialism in Weber and GottwaldNiels Peter Lemche - On the Use of ‘System Theory,’ ‘Macro Theories,’ and ‘Evolutionistic Thinking’ in Modern Old Testament Research and Biblical Archaeology‘Part 2: Case Studies - Israel and Its Institutions: Social Science Perspectives’IntroductionAbraham Malamat - Charismatic Leadership in the Book of JudgesJames W. Flanagan - Chiefs in IsraelRobert B. Coote and Keith W. Whitelam - The Emergence of Israel: Social Transformation and State Formation following the Decline in Late Bronze Age TradeIsrael Finkelstein - The Emergence of the Monarchy in Israel: The Environment and Socio-Economic AspectsRobert R. Wilson - Prophecy and Ecstasy: A ReexaminationThomas W. Overholt - Prophecy: The Problem of Cross-Cultural ComparisonFrank S. Frick - Religion and Sociopolitical Structure in Early Israel: An Ethno-Archaeological ApproachDavid C. Hopkins - Life on the Land: The Subsistence Struggles of Early IsraelCarol L. Meyers - Procreation, Production, and Protection: Male-Female Balance in Early IsraelPhyllis Bird - The Place of Women in the Israelite CultusDaniel L. Smith - The Politics of Ezra: Sociological Indicators of Postexilic Judaean SocietyIndexesIndex of AuthoritiesIndex of Scripture

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Book SynopsisApplying the principles both of poetic (based on the work of D. N. Freedman) and rhetorical (based on the work of J. Muilenberg) analysis, Bartelt examines in detail the style and structure of Isaiah 2–12. He finds that the structure of this segment of Isaiah is based on 800 eight-syllable lines, with the core of the section the so-called “Book of Immanuel” (Isaiah 6–8). The latter is ringed by two concentric circles that share structural devices and thematic motifs.Table of ContentsPREFACEABBREVIATIONS1. INTRODUCTION: FOCUS AND METHODBackground Studies and IssuesCurrent Issues and Objectives of This Study Method2. ISAIAH 5:8-25Boundaries of This UnitText and TranslationNotes on Translation and TextLineationSyllable CountsStress CountsProse ParticlesVerse and Strophe StructureGross StructureThought Progression3. ISAIAH 9:7-10:4Boundaries of This UnitText and TranslationNotes on Translation and TextLineationSyllable CountsStress CountsProse ParticlesVerse and Strophe StructureGross StructureThought Progression4. THE MACRO STRUCTURE OF ISAIAH 5:1-10:4The Relationship of 5:8-25 and 9:7-10:4The Transitional Pieces: 5:26-30 and 8:19-23aThe Isaianic Denkschrift: 6:1-8:18The Two Remaining Pieces: Isaiah 8:23b-9:6 and 5:1-7The Two Major Poems (5:8-25 and 9:7-10:4) and the DenkschriftThought Progression of 5:1-10:4The Macrostructure of 5:1-10:45. ISAIAH 10:5-12:6Boundaries of This UnitIsaiah 10:5-34Isaiah 11:1-16Isaiah 12:1-6Isaiah 10:5-12:6 as a Unified WholeThe Relationship of 10:5-12:6 and 5:1-10:46. ISAIAH 2-4Boundaries of This UnitIsaiah 2:5-22Isaiah 3:1-4:1Isaiah 4:2-6Isaiah 2:1-4Isaiah 2-4 as a Unified WholeThe Relationship of Isaiah 2-4 and 10:5-12:6The Relationship of Isaiah 2-4 and the Rest of Isaiah 2-127. CONCLUSIONPoetic IssuesRhetorical-Critical IssuesAPPENDIXESBIBLIOGRAPHY

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Book SynopsisAn exhaustive study of these kingship psalms, utilizing the entire lexicon of the 8 psalms studied. Howard’s study confirms that Hebrew poetry is regularized around a pattern of bicolons of roughly 8:8 syllables and 3:3 stresses. A major contribution to the rhetorical-critical method.Trade ReviewRerviewe Leslie Fuller One could no better advocate for the theory of synchronic coherant in the psalter Journal of Biblical Literature 1998Table of ContentsPREFACEACKNOWLEDGMENTSABBREVIATIONS1. A CONTEXTUAL AND STRUCTURAL APPROACH TO PSALMS 93-100Modern Critical Approaches to Psalms StudyStudies Devoted to Contextual and Structural RelationshipsFocus of the Present Study2. METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONSA Synchronic Analysis of the Masoretic TextQumran and the Masoretic TextSyllable and Stress Counting and Structural Analysis3. THE TEXTSPsalm 93Psalm 94Psalm 95Psalm 96Psalm 97Psalm 98Psalm 99Psalm 1004. THE TEXTS IN CONTEXTIntroductionThe DataKey-Word LinksThematic ConnectionsStructure/Genre SimilaritiesSummaryPsalms 93-100 and SuperscriptionsPsalm 93 in ContextPsalm 94 in ContextPsalm 95 in ContextPsalm 96 in ContextPsalm 97 in ContextPsalm 98 in ContextPsalm 99 in Context5. THE STRUCTURE OF PSALMS 93-100Psalms 73-89Psalms 90-92Psalm 93Psalm 94Psalm 95Psalm 96Psalm 97Psalm 98Psalm 99Psalm 100Psalms 101-6ConclusionAPPENDIX 1: Dates of Psalms 93-100APPENDIX 2: Prose Particle Counts and Percentages in Book IVAPPENDIX 3: Divine Names and Titles in Psalms 93-100APPENDIX 4: Wisdom and Royalist/Zion Traditions in the PsalterSELECT BIBLIOGRAPHYINDEX OF AUTHORS

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Book SynopsisEssays by 33 colleagues, friends, and students of the Johns Hopkins University Arabist and linguist. Topics include (1) humanism, culture, and literature; (2) Arabic; (3) Aramaic; and (4) Afroasiatic.Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsPublicationsAbbreviationsIntroduction: Georg Krotkoff as Scholar and TeacherPART 1: Humanism, Culture, and LiteratureGeorge Makdisi - Philadelphia - Inquiry into the Origins of HumanismMichael G. Carter - New York - Humanism and the Language Sciences in Medieval IslamJulie Scott Meisami - Oxford - Cosmic Numbers: The Symbolic Design of Nizami’s Haft PaykarFedwa Malti-Douglas - Bloomington, Indiana - Playing with the Sacred: Religious Intertext in Adab DiscourseWerner Ende - Freiburg, Germany - From Revolt to Resignation: The Life of Shaykh Muhsin ShararaA. H. Mathias Zahniser - Wilmore, Kentucky - Sura as Guidance and Exhortation: The Composition of Surat al-NisaBarbara Freyer Stowasser - Washington, D.C. - The Hijab: How a Curtain Became an Institution and a Cultural SymbolRoger Allen - Philadelphia - The Development of Fictional Genres: The Novel and Short Story in ArabicIssa J. Boullata - Montreal - An Arabic Poem in an Israeli Controversy: Mahmud Darwish’s ‘Passing Words’Asma Afsaruddin - South Bend, Indiana - Bi-l Arabi al-fasih: An Egyptian Play Looks at Contemporary Arab SocietyPART 2: ArabicCarolyn Killean - ChicagoLearning Arabic: A Lifetime CommitmentKarin C. Ryding - Washington, D.C. - The Alchemy of Sound: Medieval Arabic PhonosymbolismKarl Stowasser - College Park, Maryland - Al-Khalil’s LegacyWolfhart Heinrichs - Cambridge, Massachusetts - The Etymology of Muqarnas: Some ObservationsManfred Woidich - Amsterdam - Egyptian Arabic and Dialect Contact in Historical PerspectiveBenjamin Hary - Atlanta - On Later and Modern Egyptian Judeo-ArabicHans-Rudolph Singer - Germersheim - Ein arabischer Text aus Constantine (Algerien)PART 3: AramaicAnton Schall - Heidelberg - Zur griechischen Nebenuberlieferung im SyrischenJohn A. C. Greppin - Cleveland - Syriac Loanwords in Classical ArmenianRobert D. Hoberman - Stonybrook, New York - The Modern Chaldean Pronunciation of Classical SyriacGary A. Rendsburg - Ithaca, New York - Double Polysemy in Proverbs 31:19Otto Jastrow - Heidelberg - Zum neuaramaischen Dialekt von HassaneMichael L. Chyet - Berkeley - A Preliminary List of Aramaic Loanwords in KurdishYona Sabar - Los Angeles - The Story of Balaam and His She-Ass in Four Neo-Aramaic Dialects: A Comparative Study of the TranslationsEdward Y. Odisho - Chicago - A Comparative Study of Pet Names in English and AssyrianPART 4: AfroasiaticCarleton T. Hodge - Bloomington, Indiana - The Trickle-Down ApproachHerrmann Jungraithmayr - Frankfurt am Main - Ablaut im Verbalsystem osttschadischer SprachenWerner Vycichl - Geneva - Akkadian lisan-u-m, Arabic lisan-u-n: Which Is the Older Form?PART 5: Ancient Egyptian, Ottoman Turkish, and Other Linguistic MattersYoel L. Arbeitman - Princeton -You Gotta Have HeartPeter T. Daniels - Chicago - The Protean Arabic AbjadAlan S. Kaye - Fullerton, California - A Matter of Inconsistency: Variations of Arabic Loanwords in EnglishClaudia Romer - Vienna - The Language and Prose Syle of Bostan’s SuleymannameNas Goedicke - Baltimore - Language and Script in Ancient EgyptContributorsIndex of Authors

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Book SynopsisAchieving the right balance of amount of information, style of presentation, and depth of instruction in first-year grammars is no easy task. But Mark Futato has produced a grammar that, after years of testing in a number of institutions, will please many, with its concise, clear, and well-thought-out presentation of Biblical Hebrew. Because the teaching of biblical languages is in decline in many seminaries and universities, Futato takes pains to measure the amount of information presented in each chapter in a way that makes the quantity digestible, without sacrificing information that is important to retain. The book includes exercises that are drawn largely from the Hebrew Bible itself.Fourth printing, 2012.Trade Review""Mark D. Futato's new Hebrew grammar is a simple, thoughtful, and straightforward work that reflects genuine empathy for the beginning Hebrew student. The agenda of the book is to provide the fundamentals of the language unencumbered by information that may fog the road toward basic Hebrew competency. Futato's tenure in the classroom and interface with Hebrew novices prove to be an asset to Beginning Biblical Hebrew. The grammar's strength is Futato's keen pedagogical sensitivity reflected at various points in its appearance and presentation of the language. Futato chooses to impart his expertise in a larger book using larger type, even in the English sections of the book. This provides a positive and welcoming effect for the beginner and helps prevent the student from becoming overwhelmed with the data on a page. His student-centered approach is detected no later than in the introduction of the Hebrew alphabet, where the characters are displayed not only in typed form but also in handwritten style with detailed instructions as to how to fashion the letters. He also uses unique ways of getting the student to adjust to reading right to left and uniquely capitalizes upon the student's familiarity with English to grow comfortable in the pronunciation of foreign letters and words. Futato's goals and objectives listed in the introduction demonstrate a realistic vision for the beginning student.s anticipated abilities after working through the book. The student.s expectation is set at the right place in order to avoid frustration and disappointment.

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Book SynopsisThis standard lexicon of Syriac has long been the choice of students of Syriac, both for its comprehensiveness and also because of its handy size. It originated as an abridgement of Payne Smith’s Thesaurus Syriacus, a substantically larger work that also tends to be less accessible for the student. Here the meanings of the Syriac words are given in English, and the order of the Syriac is alphabetical, to avoid requiring the student to know the root of the word being looked up. An essential tool for anyone studying or researching Syriac texts or literature and for students of the Semitic languages.The Compendious Syriac Dictionary was first published by Oxford University Press in 1903 and has been out of print for a number of years. A quality Eisenbrauns reprint based on the 1976 printing.

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Book SynopsisThirty years after seminal studies by Francis I. Andersen and Jacob Hoftijzer, members of the 1996 SBL section on Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew gathered to reconsider the topic of the verbless clause in Hebrew. The results are published here, demonstrating the gains made in the interim and providing direction for future research.Contents: Cynthia L. Miller, “Pivotal Issues in Analyzing the Verbless Clause”; Walter Gross, “Is There Really a Compound Nominal Clause in Biblical Hebrew”; Cameron Sinclair, “Are Nominal Clauses a Distinct Clausal Type?”; Randall Buth, “Word Order in the Verbless Clause: A Generative-Functional Approach”; Vincent DeCaen, “A Unified Analysis of Verbal and Verbless Clauses within Government-Binding Theory”; J. W. Dyk and E. Talstra, “Paradigmatic and Syntagmatic Features in Identifying Subject and Predicate in Nominal Clauses”; Takamitsu Muraoka, “The Tripartite Nominal Clause Revisited”; Alviero Niccacci, “Types and Functions of the Nominal Sentence”; Kirk E. Lowery, “Relative Definiteness and the Verbless Clause”; Lenart J. de Regt, “Macrosyntactic Functions of Nominal Clauses Referring to Participants”; E. J. Revell, “Thematic Continuity and the Conditioning of Word Order in Verbless Clauses”; Ellen van Wolde, “The Verbless Clause and Its Textual FunctionTable of ContentsCynthia L. Miller, ‘Pivotal Issues in Analyzing the Verbless Clause’Walter Gross, ‘Is There Really a Compound Nominal Clause in Biblical Hebrew’Cameron Sinclair, ‘Are Nominal Clauses a Distinct Clausal Type?’Randall Buth, ‘Word Order in the Verbless Clause: A Generative-Functional Approach’Vincent DeCaen, ‘A Unified Analysis of Verbal and Verbless Clauses within Government-Binding Theory’J. W. Dyk and E. Talstra, ‘Paradigmatic and Syntagmatic Features in Identifying Subject and Predicate in Nominal Clauses’Takamitsu Muraoka, ‘The Tripartite Nominal Clause Revisited’Alviero Niccacci, ‘Types and Functions of the Nominal Sentence’Kirk E. Lowery, ‘Relative Definiteness and the Verbless Clause’Lenart J. de Regt, ‘Macrosyntactic Functions of Nominal Clauses Referring to Participants’E. J. Revell, ‘Thematic Continuity and the Conditioning of Word Order in Verbless Clauses’Ellen van Wolde, ‘The Verbless Clause and Its Textual Function’

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Book SynopsisDoes God, in fact, always show love toward those who love him and faithfully serve him? Even apart from the fact that God punishes those who clearly deserve his wrath, and even apart from his hostility to Israel’s enemies, what do we do with the not insignificant number of passages in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible where it could be said that he turns against his own people or members of that people, attacking them without cause, or at least with excessive violence?Professor James Crenshaw, perhaps more than any other single scholar of this generation, has led the way into discussion of this pivotal matter, and the essays included in this volume are based on or react to his seminal contributions to the topic.Table of ContentsR. N. Whybray, ‘Shall Not the Judge of All the Earth Do What Is Just? God’s Oppression of the Innocent in the Old Testament’Walter Brueggemann, ‘Texts That Linger, Not Yet Overcome’Magne Saebo, ‘Yahweh as Deus Absconditus: Some Remarks on a Dictum by Gerhard von Rad’Lennart Bostrom, ‘Patriarchal Models for Piety’Otto Kaiser, ‘Deus Absconditus and Deus Revelatus: Three Difficult Narratives in the Pentateuch’Lou H. Silberman, ‘You Cannot See My Face: Seeking to Understand Divine Justice’Douglas A. Knight, ‘Whose Agony? Whose Ecstacy? The Divine Politics of Deuteronomic Law’R. E. Clements, ‘Achan’s Sin: Warfare and Holiness’Marti Steussy, ‘The Problematic God of Samuel’Walter Harrelson, ‘Why, O Lord, Do You Harden Our Heart? A Plea for Help from a Hiding God’Paul L. Redditt, ‘The God Who Loves and Hates’Roland Murphy, ‘Wisdom and Yahwism Revisited’Leo G. Perdue, ‘Revelation and the Problem of the Hidden God in Second Temple Wisdom Literature’David Penchansky, ‘Job’s Wife: The Satan’s Handmaid’Antoon Schoors, ‘The Verb haya in Qoheleth’Bernhard Lang, ‘The Our Father as John the Baptist’s Political Prayer: A Ritual Response to the Absence of God’s Kingdom’

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Book SynopsisThe recent large-scale watershed projects in northern Syria, where the ancient city of Emar was located, have brought this area to light, thanks to salvage operation excavations before the area was submerged. Excavations at Meskeneh-Qadimeh on the great bend of the Euphrates River revealed this large town, which had been built in the late 14th century and then destroyed violently at the beginning of the 12th, at the end of the Bronze Age. In the town of Emar, ritual tablets were discovered in a temple that are demonstrated to have been recorded by the supervisor of the local cult, who was called the “diviner.” This religious leader also operated a significant writing center, which focused on both administering local ritual and fostering competence in Mesopotamian lore. An archaic local calendar can be distinguished from other calendars in use at Emar, both foreign and local. A second, overlapping calendar emanated from the palace and represented a rising political force in some tension with rooted local institutions. The archaic local calendar can be partially reconstructed from one ritual text that outlines the rites performed during a period of six months.The main public rite of Emar’s religious calendar was the zukru festival. This event was celebrated in a simplified annual ritual and in a more elaborate version of the ritual for seven days during every seventh year, probably serving as a pledge of loyalty to the chief god, Dagan. The Emar ritual calendar was native, in spite of various levels of outside influence, and thus offers important evidence for ancient Syrian culture. These texts are thus important for ancient Near Eastern cultic and ritual studies. Fleming’s comprehensive study lays the basic groundwork for all future study of the ritual and makes a major contribution to the study of ancient Syria.Trade Review“The author successfully [offers] a close reading of the texts, employing sound etymologies and full contextual control for determining the West Semitic roots, as well as by studying in depth the historical and cultural environment in which these texts were produced. His efforts are most worthwhile, as this study opens to the field of Ancient Near Eastern studies new vistas and challenging horizons, revealing at Emar the existence of a complex and unique religious system.”—Yoram Cohen OrientaliaTable of ContentsChapter 1: Emar and the Question of TimeChapter 2: The Diviner’s ArchiveChapter 3: The ZukruChapter 4: The Annual CycleChapter 5: Calendrical Time in Ancient SyriaAppendix: Texts and Translations, with Collation NotesBibliographyIndexes

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Book SynopsisThe scholarly world first became aware of the myth of Adapa and the South Wind when it was discovered on a tablet from the El-Amarna archive in 1887. We now have at our disposal six fragments of the myth. The largest and most important fragment, from Amarna, is dated to the 14th century B.C.E. This fragment of the Adapa myth has red-tinted points applied on the tablet at specific intervals. Izre’el draws attention to a few of these points that were missed in previous publications by Knudtzon and Schroeder. Five other fragments were part of the Assurbanipal library and are representative of this myth as it was known in Assyria about seven centuries later.The discovery of the myth of Adapa and the South Wind immediately attracted wide attention. Its ideology and its correspondence to the intellectual heritage of Western religions precipitated flourishing studies of this myth, both philological and substantive. Many translations have appeared during the past century, shedding light on various aspects of the myth and its characters. Izre’el unveils the myth of Adapa and the South Wind as mythos, as story. To do this, he analyzes the underlying concepts through extensive treatment of form. He offers an edition of the extant fragments of the myth, including the transliterated Akkadian text, a translation, and a philological commentary. The analysis of poetic form that follows leads to understanding the myth as a piece of literature and to uncovering its meanings. This study therefore marks a new phase in the long, extensive research into this Mesopotamian myth.Table of ContentsPREFACEABBREVIATIONSINTRODUCTIONTEXTS AND FRAGMENTSFragment AFragment A1Fragment BFragment CFragment DFragment EDATING AND COMPOSITIONAL FACTORSThe Amarna FragmentThe Nineveh Fragments and Their Relationship to the Amarna FragmentExcursus: The TMA System and the Narrative SequenceThe Origins of the MythTHE MYTH AS POETRYIntroductionPoetic DevicesRed Points and MeterLANGUAGE HAS THE POWER OF LIFE AND DEATH: STRUCTURE AND MEANINGIntroductionUnfolding the Narrative: The Linguistic Component and Meaningful Structural TiesSymbols, Views, and ConceptsBIBLIOGRAPHYPLATES

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Book SynopsisPatrick Miller is widely known as an educator, editor, President of the Society of Biblical Literature, and academic who is concerned to ensure that academics and the life of the church are not torn asunder in this era of fragmentation. As the editors note, “The depths of Miller’s contributions to church and academy are reflected in the depth of his relationships with family, friends, and colleagues.” This volume honors him for his life’s work, presenting 24 essays by students and colleagues on themes dear to Miller: (1) the Psalms and God’s nearness to his people, and (2) Torah (Deuteronomy, in particular) and God’s connection with his people in their lives together. A bibliography of Miller’s writings is also included.Table of ContentsPrefaceBrent A. Strawn and Nancy R. BowenAbbreviations and ContributorsPart I: ‘Near Whenever We Call’: God’s Nearness in Israel’s Crying Out (The Psalms and Beyond)1. Reading the Lament Psalms Backwards H. G. M. Williamson2. ‘Without Our Aid He Did Us Make’: Singing the Meaning of the Psalms W. Sibley Towner3. The So-Called Elohistic Psalter: A New Solution for an Old Problem Frank-Lothar Hossfeld and Erich Zenger4. A Fairy Tale Wedding? A Feminist Intertextual Reading of Psalm 45 Nancy R. Bowen5. Notes on Psalm 93: A Fragment of a Liturgical Poem Affirming Yahweh’s Kingship Frank Moore Cross6. There the Blessing: An Exposition of Psalm 133 James Luther Mays7. Certainty, Ambiguity, and Trust: Knowledge of God in Psalm 139 Carolyn Pressler8. Quoth the Raven: Psalm 147 and the Environment James Limburg9. Prayer and/as Self-Address: The Case of Hannah J. Gerald Janzen10. Naomi’s Cry: Reflections on Ruth 1:20-21 Katharine Doob Sakenfeld11. Jonah 2: A Prayer out of the Deep Gerhard Sauter12. Songs in a New Key: The Psalmic Structure of the Chronicler’s Hymn (1 Chr 16:8-36) Mark A. Throntveit13. Wild, Raging Creativity: The Scene in the Whirlwind (Job 38-41) Kathleen M. O’ConnorPart II: ‘As Just as This Entire Law’: God’s Nearness in the Torah (Deuteronomy and Beyond)14. Law in the Service of Life: A Dynamic Understanding of Law in Deuteronomy Terence E. Fretheim15. How Does Deuteronomy Do Theology? Literary Juxtaposition and Paradox in the New Moab Covenant in Deuteronomy 29-32 Dennis T. Olson16. Keep/Observe/Do—Carefully—Today! The Rhetoric of Repetition in Deuteronomy Brent A. Strawn17. Divine Warrior Theology in Deuteronomy Richard D. Nelson18. Reading Deuteronomy 5 as Narrative Norbert Lohfink19. The Travail of Pardon: Reflections on slh Walter Brueggemann20. Circumcision of the Heart: The Journey of a Biblical Metaphor Werner E. Lemke21. Huldah, the Prophet: Reading a (Deuteronomistic) Woman’s Identity Renita J. Weems22. Prophets and Kings: A New Look at the Royal Persecution of Prophets against Its Near Eastern Background J. J. M. Roberts23. From Mountain to Mountain: The Reign of God in Daniel 2 C. L. Seow24. Sola Scriptura? The Authority of the Bible in Pluralistic Environments Michael WelkerBibliography of the Works of Patrick D. Miller, 1964-2001Brent A. StrawnIndexes of Authors and Scripture

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Book SynopsisThere is a common perception that the Muslim conquest of Palestine in the seventh century caused a decline in the number and prosperity of settlements throughout the country. The role played by archaeology in perpetuating this view, claims Magness, is particularly insidious, because it is perceived, rightly or wrongly, as providing “scientific” (and therefore “objective”) data. Thus, archaeological evidence is frequently cited by scholars as proof or confirmation that Palestine declined after the Muslim conquest, and especially after the rise of the Abbasids in the mid-eighth century. Instead, Magness argues that the archaeological evidence, freed insofar as possible of political and/or religious biases, supports the idea that Palestine and Syria experienced a tremendous growth in population and prosperity between the mid-sixth and mid-seventh centuries. Such a radical shift in the interpretation of the evidence guarantees that this volume will be a benchmark with which future interpretations must reckon.The book includes a CD with map and key, which provides additional information regarding the sites studied and the area examined.Table of ContentsPrefaceChapter 1. IntroductionThe Models for the Israelite and Muslim ConquestsWhy Yattir?Problems of Survey MethodologyChapter 2. Map of Nahal Yattir: The Survey Sites 9Tel ʿIraThe Nestorian Monastery at Tel MasosHar BeriahContinuation of Sites in Govrin’s Survey Map of Nahal YattirClusterings of SitesConclusionChapter 3. Settlement Processes and Patterns of Land UseThe Landscape, Climate, and Natural Resources of the Yattir RegionThe Modern Bedouin of the Yattir RegionPastoralists and AgriculturalistsThe Yattir Region during the Ottoman Turkish PeriodThe Model of the Ottoman Period CycladesDry Farming Techniques in the Yattir Region and the NegevAgriculture in the Nessana PapyriInstallations for Wine, Oil, and Cereal ProductionChapter 4. The Darom (South)Horvat MaʿonHorvat Rimmon (Eremmon)Horvat (or Khirbet) SusiyaEshtamoʿaHorvat ʿAnimKhirbet YattirBeth Guvrin (Eleutheropolis)Beit LoyaHorvat BerachotChapter 5. The Limes in Southeastern JudeaʿEin BoqeqUpper ZoharThe Eastern Mount Hebron SitesThe Sites Surveyed by HirschfeldHirschfeld’s Chronology and Interpretation of the Eastern Mount Hebron SitesNew Evidence for the Chronology and Function of the Eastern Mount Hebron SitesConclusionChapter 6. The Central NegevThe Geography of the NegevThe Distribution of Negev Farms and CampsitesThe Date of the Negev Farms: Haiman’s InterpretationThe Date of the Negev Farms: Avni’s InterpretationHaiman or Avni: Who Is Correct?Sde BoqerOther Mosques in the Northern and Central NegevThe Farm and Mosque at Nahal LaʿanaMap of Har Nafha (196)Sites with Illustrated and Chronologically Diagnostic PotteryNahal MitnanMap of Har Hamran—Southwest (198)Map of Har Hamran—Southeast (199)Map of Mizpe Ramon—Southwest (200)Map of Har Ramon (203)Map of Makhtesh Ramon (204)Sites with Illustrated, Chronologically Diagnostic PotteryNahal Oded and Har OdedThe Pottery from Nahal Oded and Har OdedOther FindsMap of Har Saggi—Northeast (225)Other Sites with Illustrated, Chronologically Diagnostic PotteryThe Northern ºArabah: Nahal ShahaqChapter 7. The Northwest NegevMap of Urim (125)Sites with Illustrated, Chronologically Diagnostic PotteryExcavated Sites in the Northern NegevThe Northwest NegevBeʾer-shevaʿChapter 8. The Negev TownsNessanaColt’s ChronologyThe Pottery from the Colt ExcavationsUrman’s Excavations at NessanaShivtaAvdatMamshitHalutzaRehovot-in-the-NegevConclusionChapter 9. Did Syria–Palestine Decline in the Mid–Sixth Century?The Northern Syrian Villages: DehesHouse I: Buildings 101, 102, 103House II: Buildings 104, 108House III: Buildings 105, 106, 107The Excavators’ ConclusionsMy ConclusionsAntiochCaesarea MaritimaSummaryChapter 10. ConclusionWorks CitedIndexesIndex of AuthorsIndex of Sites

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Book SynopsisThis volume describes and analyzes the survey work at the site of the ancient Mesopotamian city, Mashkan-shapir. A general description of the site and its environs is followed by the rationale for identifying the site as Mashkan-shapir. Specific details of the archaeological data are followed by analysis and a series of supplementary appendices.Table of Contents1. Contents2. Preface3. Table of Contents4. Research Design5. The Site and Its Environs6. A History of Mashkan-shapir and Its Role in the Kingdom of Larsa (Piotr Steinkeller)7. Survey Methods and Analytic Procedures8. Types and Characteristics of Surface Features9. The Objects10. A Building Inscription of Sin-iddinam and Other Inscribed Materials from Abu Duwari (Piotr Steinkeller)11. Locational Data12. Distribution of Features and Objects in the Urban Environment13. Conclusions14. Soundings15. Off-site Archaeology in the Area of Mashkan-Shapir (Tony J. Wilkinson)16. Object Catalog17. Key for Object Coding18. Objects by Findspot

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Book SynopsisMichael V. Fox, long-time professor in the Dept. of Hebrew and Semitic Studies at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, is known both for his scholarship and his teaching. As the editors of this volume in his honor note, the care and sensitivity of his reading of the Hebrew text are well known, and he lavishes equal attention on his own writing, to the benefit of all who read his work, which now includes the first of two volumes in the Anchor Bible commentary on Proverbs (the next volume is in preparation), as well as monographs on wisdom literature in ancient Israel and elsewhere, and many articles. The rigor that he brought to his own work he also inflicted on his students, and they and a number of his colleagues honor him with their contributions to this volume.Contributors include: Menahem Haran, Kelvin G. Friebel, Cynthia L. Miller, Theron Young, Adele Berlin, William P. Brown, James L. Crenshaw, John A. Cook, Robert D. Holmstedt, Shamir Yona, Christine Roy Yoder, Carol R. Fontaine, Nili Shupak, Victor Avigdor Horowitz, Tova Forti, Richard L. Schultz, J. Cheryl Exum, Dennis R. Magary, Theodore J. Lewis, Sidnie White Crawford, Ronald L. Troxel, Karl V. Kutz, Heidi M. Szpek, Claudia V. Camp, Johann Cook, Leonard Greenspoon, Stephen G. Burnett, Carol A. Newsom, Shemaryahu Talmon, and Frederick E. Greenspahn.The book is organized around themes that reflect Prof. Fox’s interests and work: Part 1: “Seeking Out Wisdom and Concerned with Prophecies” (Sir 39:1): Studies in Biblical Texts”; Part 2: “Preserving the Sayings of the Famous” (Sir 39:2): Text, Versions, and Method.Table of ContentsMichael V. Fox: A TributeThe Publications of Michael V. Fox: Overview and Bibliography—Lawrence J. MykytiukAbbreviationsPart 1 “Seeking Out Wisdom and Concerned with Prophecies” (Sirach 39:1): Studies in Biblical TextsObservations on Ezekiel as a Book Prophet—Menahem HaranThe Decrees of Yahweh That Are “Not Good”: Ezekiel 20:25–26—Kelvin G. FriebelEllipsis Involving Negation in Biblical Poetry—Cynthia L. MillerPsalm 18 and 2 Samuel 22: Two Versions of the Same Song—Theron YoungThe Wisdom of Creation in Psalm 104—Adele Berlin“Come, O Children I Will Teach You the Fear of the Lord” (Psalm 34:12): Comparing Psalms and Proverbs—William P. BrownA Proverb in the Mouth of a Fool—James L. CrenshawGenericity, Tense, and Verbal Patterns in the Sentence Literature of Proverbs—John A. CookWord Order in the Book of Proverbs—Robert D. HolmstedtExegetical and Stylistic Analysis of a Number of Aphorisms in the Book of Proverbs: Mitigation of Monotony in Repetitions in Parallel Texts—Shamir YonaForming “Fearers of Yahweh”: Repetition and Contradiction as Pedagogy in Proverbs—Christine Roy YoderVisual Metaphors and Proverbs 5:15–20: Some Archaeological Reflections on Gendered Iconography—Carole R. FontaineThe Instruction of Amenemope and Proverbs 22:17–24:22 from the Perspective of Contemporary Research—Nili ShupakThe Woman of Valor and A Woman Large of Head: Matchmaking in the Ancient Near East—Victor Avigdor HurowitzThe Fly and the Dog: Observations on Ideational Polarity in the Book of Qoheleth—Tova FortiA Sense of Timing: A Neglected Aspect of Qoheleth’s Wisdom—Richard L. SchultzThe Little Sister and Solomon’s Vineyard: Song of Songs 8:8–12 as a Lovers’ Dialogue—J. Cheryl ExumAnswering Questions, Questioning Answers: The Rhetoric of Interrogatives in the Speeches of Job and His Friends—Dennis R. MagaryPart 2 “Preserving the Sayings of the Famous” (Sirach 39:2): Text, Versions, and MethodThe Mysterious Disappearance of Zerubbabel—Theodore J. LewisTextual Criticism of the Book of Deuteronomy and the Oxford Hebrew Bible Project—Sidnie White CrawfordWhat’s in a Name? Contemporization and Toponyms in LXX-Isaiah—Ronald L. TroxelCharacterization in the Old Greek of Job—Karl V. KutzOn the Influence of Job on Jewish Hellenistic Literature—Heidi M. SzpekBecoming Canon: Women, Texts, and Scribes in Proverbs and Sirach—Claudia V. CampTranslating Biblical Words of Wisdom into the Modern World—Leonard GreenspoonThe Text-Critical Value of the Septuagint of Proverbs—Johann CookChristian Aramaism: The Birth and Growth of Aramaic Scholarship in the Sixteenth Century—Stephen G. BurnettSpying out the Land: A Report from Genology—Carol A. NewsomWhat’s in a Calendar? Calendar Conformity, Calendar Controversy, and Calendar Reform in Ancient and Medieval Judaism—Shemaryahu TalmonCompeting Commentaries—Frederick E. GreenspahnIndex of AuthorsIndex of Scripture

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Book SynopsisFrom the Foreword—In a very short stretch of years, the Judaic Studies Program at the University of California, San Diego, has developed into one of the most important centers for teaching and research in biblical studies, in ancient Near Eastern and biblical archaeology, and more generally in Judaic studies. The program now rivals far older centers of study in these fields in eastern research universities. I have been an admirer of the program for some years, proud of former students of mine whose energy and foresight have contributed to the developments in La Jolla, including the establishment of endowed chairs that guarantee the future of this center and its program.This collection of essays honoring the Judaic Studies Program and its faculty is a testimony to the fecundity of the program in producing scholars, whose essays dominate the collection. Several essays come from other scholars whose home base is in the West and who have engaged in colloquia and common pursuits with the San Diego faculty. . . . There are sections on Genesis, poetry and prophecy, narrative and history, lexicon, archaeology, and (not least) paleography.—Frank Moore Cross Harvard UniversityTable of ContentsForewordEncomiaThe Judaic Studies Program at UCSD: A History Sarah Malena and David MianoPart 1: GenesisA Goddess in the Garden? The Fall of Eve Shawna DolanskyJacob’s Bargain with God (Genesis 28:20–22) and Its Implications for the Documentary Hypothesis Jeffrey C. GeogheganDo Not Interpretations Belong to God? A Narrative Assessment of Genesis 40 as It Elucidates the Persona of Joseph Miriam ShermanPart 2: Poetry and ProphecyQuantitative Analysis of the Tribal Sayings in Deuteronomy 33 and Its Significance for the Poem’s Overall Structure Brian KellyThe Lion Has Roared: Rhetorical Structure in Amos 1:2–3:8 Jack R. LundbomOn the Use of the Name of God in the Book of Jonah Elizabeth GoldsteinPart 3: Narrative and HistoryThe Good Book and the Bad Movies: Moses and the Failure of Biblical Cinema Michael M. HomanWhat Happened in the Fourteenth Year of Hezekiah? A Historical Analysis of 2 Kings 18–20 in the Light of New Textual Considerations David MianoWhere Is God? Divine Presence in the Absence of the Temple Risa Levitt Kohn and Rebecca MoorePart 4: LexiconThe First Halleluyah Ziony ZevitSpice Roots in the Song of Songs Sarah MalenaThe Participle in Biblical Hebrew and the Overlap of Grammar and Lexicon Francis I. Andersen and A. Dean ForbesPart 5: Archaeology and PaleographyBiomolecules, Bedouin, and the Bible: Reconstructing Ancient Foodways in Israel’s Northern Negev Margie BurtonFrom the Wilderness of Zin alongside Edom: Edomite Territory in the Eastern Negev during the Eighth–Sixth Centuries B.C.E. Laura M. ZucconiThe Gamla Coin: A New Perspective on the Circumstances and Date of Its Minting Yoav Arbel

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Book SynopsisIsrael Knohl offers a new perspective on the history and theology of the Priestly source of the Pentateuch. By means of an analysis of specific texts—for example, those that deal with the Sabbath and the Festivals—Knohl demonstrates the existence of two separate Priestly sources, loosely speaking, the two sources that we have referred to as P and the Holiness Code. The “Holiness School” is shown to have been active subsequent to the school that produced the Priestly Torah and, in fact, to have been responsible for the great enterprise of editing the Torah. Knohl examines the conceptions of divinity and ritual reflected in Priestly thought and legislation in ancient Israel and the changes revealed in these conceptions over time. The priesthood appears as an elite group that was closeted within the walls of the “Sanctuary of Silence,” drawn toward the hidden, noble divinity ensconced within its shrine. The later stratum of Priestly writings expresses a desire to transcend the limits of the temple and go out into the broad avenues of the nation, even at the price of surrendering the loftiness of earlier faith and practice. The conclusion describes the changes that occurred in the priests’ world view as an attempt to come to terms with the socioreligious crisis that had brought about a disjunction between ritual and ethics. In response to this crisis, the priests developed a wider conception of holiness, one that integrates ethics and ritual in one sphere.This is a reprint of the 1995 Fortress Press edition.Table of ContentsPrefaceAbbreviationsIntroduction1. The Sabbath and Festivals in the Priestly Torah and the Laws of the Holiness School2. The Separation of the Priestly Stratum of the Pentateuch into Its Constituent Parts3. The Concept of God and the Cult in the Priestly Torah4. The Concept of God and the Cult in the Holiness Schools5. The Historical Framework for the Activities of the Priestly SchoolIndex of Modern AuthorsIndex of Biblical References

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Book SynopsisRichard Friedman is well known in the field of biblical studies, not only because of his contributions to the study of the Hebrew Bible (which are many) but also because he has written cogently and clearly for a much wider audience, outside the academy, most notably in his Who Wrote the Bible? (1997). In addition, his influence has crossed the boundaries of a variety of disciplines such as source criticism, archaeology, the ancient Near East, as well as religious studies.The essays in this volume reflect the breadth and depth of Richard Friedman’s life and work. Several contributors discuss topics related to the Hebrew Bible: for example, Jacob Milgrom examines the relationship between Ezekiel and the Levites and Carol Meyers discusses the Tabernacle texts in the context of Priestly influence on them; Ronald Hendel, Michael Homan, and Robert Wilson explore the history of source criticism, with detailed source-critical analysis of Genesis 1–11 and the book of Kings. Jeffrey Geoghegan discusses the origins of the Passover in one of several insightful essays under the topic “Israel and the Ancient Near East.” Among the contributions specific to archaeology, Baruch Halpern’s provides a provocative “Defense of Forgery.” Lastly, four contributors (e.g., Alan Cooper) discuss religion and religious studies, along with ramifications for contemporary application. A fine collection of contemporary topics discussed by leading scholars in the field.Table of ContentsRichard Elliott Friedman: An Appreciation William H. C. ProppIntroduction Shawna DolanskyThe Hebrew BibleEzekiel and the Levites Jacob MilgromFraming Aaron: Incense Altar and Lamp Oil In the Tabernacle Texts Carol MeyersNecromancy and 1 Samuel 19:22 W. Randall GarrA Tale of the Prophet and the Courtier: A Responsive Reading of the Nathan Texts Herbert HuffmonA Forgotten Cultic Reform? 2 Kings 3:2b André LemaireScribal Error and the Transmission of 2 Kings 18-20 and Isaiah 36-39 Bradley RootEmpirical Taxonomy and the Hebrew Bible A. Dean ForbesPlace Names as Superlatives in Classical Hebrew H. G. M. WilliamsonSource CriticismLeitwort Style and Literary Structure in the J Primeval Narrative Ronald HendelHow Moses Gained and Lost the Reputation of Being the Torah’s Author: Higher Criticism Prior to Julius Wellhausen Michael M. HomanHow Was the Bible Written? Reflections on Sources and Authors in the Book of Kings Robert WilsonIsrael and the Ancient Near EastThe “Biblical” Origins of Passover Jeffrey C. Geoghegan“Plowing With a Heifer” – Tracing a Sexual Euphemism Shalom M. PaulAramean Skin Care: A New Perspective on Naaman’s Leprosy Laura ZucconiAbraham and Damascus in Some Greek and Latin Texts of the Hellenistic Period John A. EmertonRethinking Sectarian Judaism: The Centrality of the Priesthood in the Second Temple Period Risa Levitt Kohn and Rebecca MooreThe Bible and ArchaeologyIn Defense of Forgery Baruch HalpernCan Archaeology Serve as a Tool in Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible? William G. Dever“You Shall Make for Yourself No Molten Gods”: Some Thoughts on Archaeology and Edomite Ethnic Identity Thomas E. LevyFemale Infanticide in Iron II Israel and Judah Beth Alpert NakhaiReligion and Religious StudiesElements of Popular Piety in Late Medieval and Early Modern Jewish Psalms Commentary Alan CooperThe Biblical Icon Stephen D. CoxWalter Rauschenbusch, the Social Gospel Movement And How Julius Wellhausen Unwittingly Helped Create American Progressivism in the Twentieth Century Steven CassedyStarving the Patient: A Jewish Perspective on Terry Schiavo and the Feeding Tube Controversy Randy Sturman

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Book SynopsisMost of the essays in this volume stem from the special sessions of the Historiography Seminar of the Canadian Society for Biblical Studies, held in the late spring of 2007 (University of Saskatchewan). The papers in these focused sessions dealt with issues of self-identification, community identity, and ethnicity in Judahite and Yehudite historiography. The scholars present addressed a range of issues, such as the understanding, presentation, and delimitation of “Israel” in various biblical texts, the relationship of Israelites to Judahites in Judean historical writings, the definition of Israel over against other peoples, and the possible reasons why the ethnoreligious community (“Israel”) was the focus of Judahite/Yehudite historiography. Papers approached these matters from a variety of theoretical and disciplinary vantage points. For example, some pursued an inner-biblical perspective (pentateuchal sources/writings, Former Prophets, Latter Prophets, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah), while others pursued a cross-cultural comparative perspective (ancient Near Eastern, ancient Greek and Hellenistic historiographies, Western and non-Western historiographic traditions). Still others attempted to relate the material remains to the question of community identity in northern Israel, monarchic Judah, and postmonarchic Yehud.Table of Contents“Introduction” Gary Knoppers and Kenneth A. RistauIsrael and Nomads of Ancient Palestine Kenton L. SparksDavid: Messianic King or Mercenary Ruler? John Van SetersA Comparative Study of the Exilic Gap in Ancient Israelite, Messenian and Zionist Collective Memory Katherine M. Stott“Are There Any Bridges Out There? How Wide Was the Conceptual Gap between the Deuteronomistic History and Chronicles?” Ehud Ben Zvi“Characters in Stone: Royal Ideology and Yehudite Identity in the Behistun Inscription and the Book of Haggai James BowickThe Diaspora in Zechariah 1-8 and Ezra-Nehemiah: The Role of History, Social Location, and Tradition in the Formulation of Identity John Kessler“Ethnicity, Genealogy, Geography, and Change: The Judean Communities of Babylon and Jerusalem in the Story of Ezra” Gary N. Knoppers“Ezra’s Mission and the Levites of Casiphia” Mark LeuchterTextual Identities in the Books of Chronicles: The Case of Jehoram’s HIstory Louis Jonker“Reading and Re-Reading Josiah: The Chronicler’s Representation of Josiah for the Post-Exilic Community’ Ken RistauIdentity and Empire, Reality and Hope in the Chroncler’s Perspective Mark J. BodaIndexesIndex of AuthorsIndex of Scripture

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Book SynopsisThe first half of the proceedings, Language in the Ancient Near East (in 2 parts), is available here. A workshop volume is available here.The topic of the meetings in St. Petersburg portion of the 53e RAI was, as the title indicates, city administration. Of the 19 papers published in this volume, 2 are based on plenary, opening papers; 16 discuss various aspects of administration from very early times in geographic regions stretching from the extreme south of Mesopotamia, through the middle and upper Euphrates, to Ugarit; and 3 discuss labor and professions in the Ur III period.Table of ContentsCity Administration in the Ancient Near EastOpening LecturesG. Selz “He put in order the accounts …” Remarks on the Early Dynastic Background of the Administrative Reorganizations in the Ur III StateJ.-M. Durand Être chef d’un état amorrite City Administration in the Ancient Near EastS. Dalley Administration in Texts from the First Sealand DynastyD. Katz City Administration in Poetry: the Case of the HeraldR. Kolinski Between City Institutions and Markets: Mesopotamian Traders of the 2nd Millennium BCD. Lacambre L’administration de Chagar Bazar (Ašnakkum) à l’époque de Samsi-AdduM. Lönnqvist How to Control Nomads? A Case Study Associated with Jebel Bishri in Central Syria West Semitic Nomads in Relation to the Urban WorldM. Maiocchi The Sargonic “Archive” of Me-sásag7 , Cup-Bearer of AdabL. Marti Le azannu à Mari et sur le Moyen-EuphrateB. Nilhamn From Oral Promise to Written Receipt. A Cognitive Study of the Use of Mnemonics within Ancient AdministrationS. Paulus Verschenkte Städte—Königliche Landschenkungen an Götter und MenschenJ. Taylor Úazannum: The Forgotten MayorJu. Tsirkin Städtische Selbstverwaltung und sozialpolitischer Gemeindesektor in Phönikien und SyrienG. Van Buylaere The Role of the azannu in the Neo-Assyrian EmpireW. H. van Soldt The City-Administration of UgaritG. Visicato New Light from an Unpublished Archive of Meskigalla, Ensi of Adab Housed in the Cornell University CollectionsProfessions and Labor in the Ur III PeriodX. Ouyang Administration of the Irrigation Fee in Umma during the Ur III Period (ca–2004 BCE)S. Garfinkle What Work Did the Damgars Do? Towards a Definition of Ur III LaborJ. L. Dahl A Babylonian Gang of Potters. Reconstructing the Social Organization of Crafts Production in the Late Third Millennium BC Southern Mesopotamia

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 2011 RBY Scott Award from the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies/Société canadienne des études bibliquesThe God of the Bible favors a national people, Israel, and this is at the cost of the other nations. In fact, not being Israel usually means humiliation or destruction or simply being ignored by God. Reading the text “with the grain” or placing oneself within the chosen’s perspective may seem very well until one considers the unchosen. There is much regarding the unchosen that has not been explored in scholarly research, but in this important work, Lohr attempts to make sense of the question of election and nonelection in the OT as a Christian interpreter and with a concern for the history of interpretation and Jewish-Christian dialogue.He also corrects a Christian tendency to read election and nonelection as love and damnation, respectively, a perception that is altogether foreign to the OT itself. The unchosen are important to the overall world view of Scripture and, although election entails exclusion, and God’s love for the one people Israel is a love in contrast to others, it does not follow that the unchosen fall outside of the economy of God’s purposes, his workings, or his ways. The unchosen often face important tests of their own and have a responsibility to God and the chosen, however much this idea defies modern-day notions of fairness. It is a central idea of Scripture that already appears in the original call of and promises made to Abram and something that, if ignored, places our larger understanding of God at risk.Equally important, if contemporary faith communities (both Jewish and Christian) form their understanding of “the other” on a faulty reading of Scripture regarding the unchosen, chaos and hatred can ensue. The political and religious climate of our contemporary world has never presented a more important time to get this matter right. Scholars and students alike are finding Chosen and Unchosen to be an indispensable resource as they mull over these difficult questions.Table of ContentsPreface: Election and Nonelection: Why Bother?AcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsPart 1: Election in Jewish and Christian InterpretationChapter 1. Introducing Election and Nonelection: Christian InterpretationTheological DictionariesMonographsOld Testament (and Biblical) TheologiesSummaryChapter 2. Jewish Election Theologies: Exclusion and Disgrace?Joel S. KaminskyDavid NovakMichael WyschogrodJon D. LevensonConclusion: Jewish Interpretation and the Way ForwardPart 2: Election and Nonelection in the Pentateuch: Test CasesChapter 3. Blessing or Curse? Abraham, Election, and the Nations:The Story of King AbimelechWives, Sisters, a Righteous Nation, and a God-Fearing KingConclusionChapter 4. An Unchosen Figure Who Saves a People (Exodus 2:1-10)A Numerous and Special People, a People Promised LandThe Birth, the Hiding, and the FindingNaming, Ownership, and AdoptionSummary and ConclusionChapter 5. Numbers: Balaam and Yhwh’s Irrevocable Love for IsraelNumbers and the Book of BalaamThe Text: Numbers 22-24ConclusionChapter 6. Israel and the Nations in DeuteronomyDeuteronomy 4: Allotted to Whom and Why?Deuteronomy 7: Herem and Election?Deuteronomy 10:12-22ConclusionChapter 7. Chosen and Unchosen: Can Good Come from a God Who Favors?Putting It TogetherCan Good Come from a God Who Favors?Appendix 1. The Tendency to View Balaam as SinnerAppendix 2. Herem in the Old Testament: An OverviewHerem as Sacrifice?Preliminary ObservationsHerem as a Divine Command?Contemporary versus Ancient SensibilitiesA God Who Gets His Hands Dirty?The Smoking Gun (or Bloody Sword): The Herem Never HappenedPerhaps Judgment?ConclusionBibliographyIndexesIndex of AuthorsIndex of Scripture

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Book SynopsisThe corpus of Early Dynastic figurative monuments from ancient Mesopotamia is substantial. For many years, establishing the chronological sequence and development of these artifacts has been a complicated and problematic task. In this volume—first published in Italian in 2006 and here translated, revised, and updated—Gianni Marchesi and Nicolò Marchetti provide a complete relative chronology for these remarkable objects. Having established the chronological sequence through an examination of the archaeological contexts of the excavated pieces and the analysis of their inscriptions, the authors then consider the significance of the changes, over time, in the subject matter of figurative arts, noting a gradual shift from a stage in which the entire officialdom of early polities was celebrated to a stage in which the figure of the king alone becomes the main and then almost the only object of celebration. Near the end of the Early Dynastic period, which was a time of continual political upheaval, new iconographic details were introduced in order to characterize the royal figure, and a distinctive royal iconography began to be developed.Starting from these observations, the authors proceed to investigate the ideology of early polities in Mesopotamia and the role and functions of the king. Along with a new chronology of Early Dynastic rulers and an outline of Early Dynastic history, discussions of significant monuments and inscriptions are offered. In addition, all known inscriptions on royal statues are edited and provided with detailed commentaries.First published in 2006 as La statuaria regale nella Mesopotamica Protodinastica (Rome: Bardi Editore).Trade Review“This book is an important, engaging and multifaceted account that is sure to provoke discussion and debate. It deserves to become a classic interpretation of the archaeology and royal iconography of third millennium BC Mesopotamia and should be the first port of call for anybody interested in a detailed understanding of the period. Marchesi and Marchetti deserve our congratulations and thanks.”—Paul Collins Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies“Royal Statuary of Early Dynastic Mesopotamia will pay dividends to any reader who invests in its wide-ranging and multidisciplinary view of early Mesopotamian royal visual culture. The collaboration between the authors is an encouraging sign of the future of research in the field of ancient visual culture.”—Melissa Eppihimer Journal of the American Oriental SocietyTable of ContentsPrefaceIntroductionChapter 1. Archaeological Contexts and Chronology of Early Dynastic Statuary1.1. The Main Contexts of Stratified Early Dynastic Statues and Other Visual Material1.1.1. Tell Asmar (Ešnunak), Khafajah (Tutub), and Tell Agrab (PA.GAR)1.1.2. Nuffar (Nippur) 1.1.3. Tello (Girsu)1.1.4. Bismaya (Adab) 1.1.5. Tell al-Muqayyar (Ur) 1.1.6. Tell al-ʿUbaid (Nūtur)1.1.7. Tell Hariri (Mari)1.1.8. Qalºat Shergat (Aššur)1.1.9. Tell Ingharra (Kiš) 1.1.10. Shush (Susa) 1.1.11. Some Groups of Sculpted Artifacts from Other Mesopotamian Sites1.2. Early Dynastic Chronology and the Development of Visual and Epigraphic ArtifactsChapter 2. Historical Framework2.1. Political Development in Early Dynastic Mesopotamia: An Outline2.2. Royal Titles and Ideology of Kingship2.3. The Sumerian King List2.4. Early Dynastic RulersChapter 3. Early Dynastic Royal Statuary3.1. Royal Statues Identified on Epigraphic Grounds3.2. Uninscribed Statues Presumably Commissioned by Rulers3.3. The Development and Meaning of Royal Statuary3.4. Catalogue of Early Dynastic Royal StatuaryChapter 4. The Inscriptions on Royal Statues4.1. Preliminary Observations4.2. Definition of the Corpus4.3. Statue Inscriptions (Cat. 1–12) Chapter 5. Kingship and Visual Communication in the Early Dynastic Period5.1. The Protohistoric Era and the Problem of Identifying the “Priest-King”5.2. The Iconography and Themes of Early Dynastic Art5.3. Ebla and Early Syrian CultureChapter 6. Conclusions6.1 Iconographic Details and Visual Significance: The Ruler and the Early State Administration6.2. From Participation to Individualism: The Development of Royal Visual Propaganda in Early Dynastic IIIa–bAppendix A. Remarks on Early Dynastic TemplesA.1. Characteristics of Early Dynastic SanctuariesA.2. Temple Names and Titular DeitiesAppendix B. Royal Statues in Administrative TextsAppendix C. Notes on the Transliteration of Texts and the Transcription of Proper NamesI. Personal NamesII. Divine NamesIII. Geographical and Topographical NamesAbbreviationsBibliographyPhilological IndexSources of IllustrationsPlates

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Book SynopsisFrom the 700s B.C.E. to the late 300s B.C.E., Aramaic was the international language of the ancient Near East. With the arrival of Alexander the Great in the 300s, Greek supplanted Aramaic, but Aramaic did not disappear. Although it gradually broke apart into dialects, in many regions of the former Persian Empire, Aramaic became the lingua franca of peoples in the regions of Palestine, Syria, and Mesopotamia. As a result, a wealth of important works were written in Aramaic and have survived, from apocryphal and rabbinic texts to numerous translations of Scripture (targumim) and liturgical texts, as well as legal documents, letters, and inscriptions. In the decades following the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple in 70 C.E. and the failure of the Bar Kokhba Revolt in 135, large numbers of Jews migrated from Palestine to Babylonia. One of the three dialects of Aramaic used in Babylonia eventually formed the linguistic basis for the Babylonian Talmud, along with Hebrew.In Syria and northern Mesopotamia, Aramaic also developed into an important local language called Syriac. As Christianity began to grow, especially after its legalization under Constantine in the fourth century, Syriac took on a new role. While most Christians in the Mediterranean world adopted Latin and/or Greek for religious purposes, those in Syria used Syriac, and it played a major role in the formation of Christianity in the lands nearest its origins during its first millennium. The churches translated Scripture into Syriac, as well as using the language for commentaries, sermons, and liturgical works.The essays in this fine volume came into being during a six-week residential seminar in the summer of 2004 held at Duke University and directed by the editors. The seminar focused on Aramaic in postbiblical Judaism and early Christianity and was sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The important essays included here were written as a result of that seminar. Most were written in residence, and all were done in discussion with the seminar’s participants and stellar faculty, which in addition to Eric Meyers and Paul Flesher included Lucas Van Rompay, Michael Sokoloff, Douglas Gropp, Tina Shepardson, and Hayim Lapin. The essays are arranged in engaging three sections: Awakening Sleeping Texts, the Details of Language, and Recasting: Making Old Texts New.Table of ContentsAcknowledgementsAbbreviationsIntroductionAwakening Sleeping TextsReconsidering the Letter of Mara bar Serapion David Rensberger‘Transgressive’: Meaning and Implications of wl in Jewish Syriac Text and Translation Sigrid PetersonThe Composition of the Qenneshrê Fragment Michael PennDating by Destruction: A Date Formula at Nabratein and Zoar Eric M. MeyersWhen? “After the Destruction of the Temple” Paul V.M. FlesherThe Details of LanguageThe Function of the Active Participle in the Aramaic of Daniel Tarsee LiTracing the History of a Legal Term of Art: The Word Azarah in Biblical, Tannaitic, and Targumic Literature Madeline KochenThe Adverb ’ulay (“perhaps”) in the Piety and Prophecy of the Hebrew Bible and Early Versions William ReaderTranslating the Hebrew particle ky ‘m into Aramaic and English: An Exploration through the Targums and the Peshitta Blane W. ConklinRecasting: making an old text newThe Usage of the First Person in the Genesis Apocryphon Stephen A. ReedSyntactic Double Translation in the Targumim Michael CarasikThe Fish Grows Bigger, Angelic Insertions in Neofiti and Pseudo-Jonathan David L. EversonHapax legomena and the Development of Proto-Onqelos: The Case of Genesis Kyong-Jin LeeThe Wisdom of the Sages: The Rabbinic Rewriting of Targum Qohelet Paul V. M. Flesher

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Book SynopsisThe study of the yehud stamp impressions, which appear on the handles or bodies of store jars, has persisted for over a century, beginning with the discovery of the first of these impressions at Gezer in 1904. Nevertheless, until the pioneering work of Stern in 1973, who cataloged, classified, and discussed the stamp impressions known up to 1970, discovery and publication of new stamp impressions were scattered, and analysis was cursory at best. Furthermore, a gap in research has persisted since then.Now, Oded Lipschits and David Vanderhooft are pleased to present a comprehensive catalog (through the winter of 2008–9) of published and unpublished yehud stamp impressions, with digital photographs and complete archaeological and publication data for each impression. This long-overdue resource provides a secure foundation for general reflection on the whole corpus and illuminates more-narrow fields such as stratigraphy, paleography, administration, historical geography, and Persian-period economic developments within Yehud. The catalog clarifies what is nebulous apart from a complete corpus, matters such as distribution, petrographic analysis of the clay, new readings of the seal legends, use of the toponym yehud, and significance of the title phwa. The scope of this catalog renders it a worthwhile tool for all future study of these invaluable artifacts and the period of history that produced them.Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsPrefaceA. Introduction1. History of Researcha. The Early Phase of Research: First Discoveries and First Hypothesesb. The Middle Phase of Research: The Main Corpus and the Main Points of Agreementc. The Late Phase of Research: Expanded Corpus Refined Conclusions, Improved Typology2. The Need for New Research3. Persian and Hellenistic Stamp Impressions Not Included in the Corpus4. The yehud Stamp Impressions: Basic Facts on Numbers and SitesB. Geopolitical and Archaeological Considerations1. Geopolitical Considerations2. Archaeological Considerations3. Petrography of the yehud Jar Stamp ImpressionsC. The Paleographical Framework for the yehud Stamp Impressions1. Chronological Framework2. Arrival of Aramaic Script in Yehud3. Outline of the Development of the Script4. The Development of the Lapidary Script and the Place of yehud Stamp Impressions in the Sequence5. SummaryD. The Toponym Yehud and the Title pḥwʾ1. The Toponym Yehud2. The Title pḥwʾE. The Early Types1. Introduction to the Early Types2. Type 1: לאחיב פחוא “Belonging to ʾAḥîab, the Governor”3. Type 2: יהוד | אוריו “Yehûd ʾÛrīyaw”4. Type 3: יהוד | מלכיו “Yehûd Malkiyaw”5. Type 4: יהוד | חננה “Yehûd Ḥananah”6. Types 2–4: Summary Discussion7. Type 5: יה | וד “Yehûd”8. Type 6יהוד Yehûd”9. Type 7: יהוד יהועזר “Yehûd, Yehôʿezer, the governor”10. Type 8: ?????? ? ???? “Belonging to ?anûnah, Yehûd”11. Type 9: יאזנ בר ישב ׀ יהוד “Yaʾazan, son of Yašub, Yehûd”12. Type 10: ליהעזר “Belonging to Yehoʾezer”13. Type 11: גדליה “Gedalyah”14. Type 12: יהוד פחוא “Yehûd Paḥwaʾ”15. Summary of the Early TypesF. The Middle Types1. Introduction to the Middle Types2. Type 13: יהד “Yehud”3. Type 14: יה “Yeh(ud)”4. Type 15: יה “overlapping”G. The Late Types1. Introduction to the Late Types: Dating the Late Types on Archaeological Grounds2. Type 16: יה-ligature3. Type 17: יהד ט “ṭet + Yehud”4. Summary of the Late TypesH. Summary and SynthesisDistribution of the Early TypesDistribution of the Middle TypesDistribution of the Late TypesFunctionAbbreviations of Periodicals and SeriesBibliographyIndexesIndex of ToponymsIndex of Authors

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Book SynopsisIn this magnum opus, N. J. C. Kouwenberg presents a thoroughgoing, modern analysis of the Akkadian verbal system, taking into account all of the currently available evidence for the language during the course of the long period of its attestation. The book achieves this goal through two strategies: (1) to describe the Akkadian verbal system, as comprehensively as the data permit; and (2) to reconstruct its prehistory on the basis of internal evidence and reconstruction, comparison with cognate languages, and typological evidence. Akkadian has one of the longest documented histories of any language: data from nearly two-and-one-half millennia are available, even if the stream of data is sometimes interrupted and not always as copious as we would like. During the course of this history, numerous developments took place, illustrating how languages change over time and offering parallels for reconstruction of changes that occurred in poorly documented periods.As a result, this book will be of great interest, in the first place, for all students of Akkadian, both the language and the literature that is documented in that language; and in the second place, for all students of language and linguistics who are interested in the study of how languages are shaped, develop, and change during the course of a long history.Table of ContentsPart One: PreliminariesChapter 1. Objective, Structure, and MethodChapter 2. Structure and Organization in the Akkadian Verbal ParadigmPart Two: The Basic StemChapter 3. The Paradigm of the G-StemChapter 4. The Impact of Gemination I: The Imperfective iparrVsChapter 5. The Perfective and the ImperativeChapter 6. The tPerfectChapter 7. The StativeChapter 8. The Nominal Forms of the Verbal ParadigmChapter 9. The Secondary Members of the Verbal ParadigmPart Three: The Derived Verbal StemsChapter 10. The Derived Verbal Stems: General FeaturesChapter 11. The impact of gemination II: the DstemChapter 12. The Prefix n-Chapter 13. The PrefixChapter 14. The t-Infix and Its RamificationsChapter 15. Verb Forms with ReduplicationPart Four: The Minor ParadigmsChapter 16. The Weak VerbsChapter 17. The Verbs with GutturalsPart Five: Proto-Semitic from an Akkadian perspectiveChapter 18. The Verbal Paradigm of Proto-Semitic

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Book SynopsisAlmost every book in the Hebrew Bible mentions horses and chariots in some manner, usually in a military context. However, the importance of horses, chariots, and equestrians in ancient Israel is typically mentioned only in passing, if at all, by historians, hippologists, and biblical scholars. When it is mentioned, the topic engenders a great deal of confusion.Notwithstanding the substantial textual and archaeological evidence of the horse’s historic presence, recent scholars seem to be led by a general belief that there were very few horses in Iron Age Israel and that Israel’s chariotry was insignificant. The reason for this current sentiment is tied primarily to the academic controversy of the past 50 years over whether the 17 tripartite-pillared buildings excavated at Megiddo in the early 20th century were, in fact, stables. Although the original excavators, archaeologists from the University of Chicago, designated these buildings as stables, a number of scholars (and a few archaeologists) later challenged this view and adopted alternative interpretations. After they “reassessed” the Megiddo stables as “storehouses,” “marketplaces,” or “barracks,” the idea developed that there was no place for the horses to be kept and, therefore, there must have been few horses in Israel. The lack of stables, when added to the suggestion that Iron Age Israel could not have afforded to buy expensive horses and maintain an even more expensive chariotry, led to a dearth of horses in ancient Israel; or so the logic goes that has permeated the literature. Cantrell’s book attempts to dispel this notion.Too often today, scholars ignore or diminish the role of the horse in battle. It is important to remember that ancient historians took for granted knowledge about horses that modern scholars have now forgotten or never knew. Cantrell’s involvement with horses as a rider, competitor, trainer, breeder, and importer includes equine experience ranging from competitive barrel-racing to jumping, and for the past 25 years, dressage. The Horsemen of Israel relies on the author’s knowledge of and experience with horses as well as her expertise in the field of ancient Near Eastern languages, literature, and archaeology.Table of ContentsAbbreviationsIntroductionBackgroundModern HorsemanshipAncient ScholarshipCurrent ScholarshipHistorical SettingBiblical TextChronology MattersHorse-Related ArchitectureContentsThe Nature of the War-HorseThe Sights of BattleThe Noise of BattleThe Smells of BattleThe Sex of the War-HorseThe Horse in BattleThe Limitations of the Horse in BattleKilling a Horse in BattleHorses in Iron Age Israel and JudahKurkh MonolithTel Dan SteleHebrew Bible TextsCaptured HorsesHorse TradingHorse PricesHorse BreedingSize and Breed of HorsesEconomic and Practical ConsiderationsReligious ConcernsChariotry in Iron Age IsraelOrigin of Monarchic ChariotrySuitability for ChariotryTopographyShort DistancesChariot Cost, Manufacture, and RepairChariots in BattleArchitectural Advances for the Israelite ChariotrySix-Chambered GatesChambered Gate DimensionsStables of Israel: The Case of MegiddoStabled HorsesFeeding TroughsFeeding RegimensWater SystemsTethering HolesStall FloorsRemoval of Horses from StallsPresence of “Only” One Exit from the StableStabling of StallionsLack of Horse Paraphernalia at MegiddoLack of Horse Bones at MegiddoLack of Horse Teeth at MegiddoVentilationTraining ConsiderationsJezreel Military Headquarters and Cavalry DepotSummaryWarfare in Iron Age IsraelAramean InvasionsAssyrian InvasionsEgyptian InvasionsInvasion of Moab (2 Kings 3)From Chariotry to Mounted CombatConclusionIndexes

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Book SynopsisIn this comprehensive study, Horowitz examines all of the extant Mesopotamian texts (both Sumerian and Akkadian) relating to the ideas of the physical universe and its constituent parts (Heaven, Earth, subterranean waters, underworld). The author shows that the Mesopotamian view of the universe was at once cohesive as well as discordant and deficient, while remaining fairly constant over more than 2,500 years.Horowitz first surveys the various sources for Mesopotamian cosmic geography, including various mythological and literary texts, as well as the famous “Babylonian Map of the World” and various astrological and astronomical texts. The universe was built by the gods in earliest times and was thought to be held together by cosmic bonds. Given this general notion, there is nevertheless significant variety in the inclusion or omission of various elements of the picture in texts of different genres and from different periods. In addition, the available evidence leaves a number of problems unsolved. What are the bounds of the universe? What is beyond the limits of the universe? In the second section of the book, Horowitz then discusses each of the various regions and their names in various locales and time periods, drawing on the disparate sources to show where there is coherence and where there is difference of perspective. In addition, he discusses all of the names for the different parts of the universe and examines the geographies of each region.Of importance for both Assyriologists and those interested in the history of ideas, particularly the cosmologies of the ancient Near East.Table of ContentsForewordAcknowledgmentsAbbreviations and ConventionsIntroductionPart I: Sources for Mesopotamian Cosmic Geography1. The Levels of the Universe: KAR 307 30-38 and AO 8196 iv 20-222. ‘The Babylonian Map of the World’3. The Flights of Etana and the Eagle into the Heavens4. The Sargon Geography5. Gilgamesh and the Distant Reaches of the Earth’s Surface6. Cosmic Geography in Accounts of Creation7. The Geography of the Sky: The ‘Astrolables,’ Mul-Apin, and Related Texts8. BagM. Beih no and the Compass Points9. ‘Seven Heavens and Seven Earths’Part II: The Regions of the Universe10. Names for Heaven11. The Geography of the Heavens12. Names for Earth13. The Geography of EarthAppendicesIndexesSubject IndexAncient Texts and Modern EditionsSumerian and Akkadian TermsStarsPlates

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Book SynopsisUsing narrative devices such as allusions and free associations, multivalent expressions, and irony, the author of Esther wrote a story that is about a Jewish woman, Esther, during the time of the Persian exile of Yehudites, and the Persian king, Ahasuerus, who was in power at the time. At various junctures, the author also used secret writing, or we could say that he conveys mixed messages: one is a surface message, but another, often conflicting message lies beneath the surface. For instance, the outer portrayal of the king as one of the main protagonists is an ironic strategy used by the author to highlight the king’s impotent, indecisive, “antihero” status. He may wield authority—as symbolized by his twice-delegated signet ring—but he remains powerless. Among all the concealments in the story, the concealment of God stands out as the most prominent and influential example.A growing number of scholars regard the book of Esther as a “comic diversion,” the function and intention of which are to entertain the reader. However, Grossman is more convinced by Mikhail Bakhtin’s approach, and he labels his application of this approach to the reading of Esther as “theological carnivalesque.” Bakhtin viewed the carnival (or the carnivalesque genre) as a challenge by the masses to the governing establishment and to accepted social conventions. He described the carnival as an eruption of ever-present but suppressed popular sentiments. The connection between the story of Esther and Bakhtin’s characterization of the carnivalesque in narrative is evident especially in the book of Esther’s use of the motifs of “reversal” and “transformation.” For example, the young girl Esther is transformed from an exiled Jewess into a queen in one of the turnabouts that characterize the narrative. Many more examples are provided in this analysis of one of the Bible’s most fascinating books.Trade Review“[Grossman] coins the phrase ‘theological carnivalesque’ to describe the Esther narrative, asserting that the story is meant to emphasize the instability of life in general in which no human being, however powerful, truly knows what is going on. [Grossman]’s study reads easily and is full of intriguing and suggestive observations about the text of Esther, particularly in noting echoes of other biblical writings.”—Deborah W. Rooke Journal for the Study of the Old TestamentTable of Contents 1. Introduction2. The Feast of Ahasuerus and the Feast of Vashti (Esther 1)3. Esther Is Taken to the King (Esther 2)4. The Attempted Rebellion against the King (Esther 2:21–23)5. “Some Time Afterward”: The Promotion of Haman (Esther 3:1–6)6. The Casting of the Lot (Esther 3:6–7)7. Did the King Know of Haman’s Decree? (Esther 3:8–11)8. The Secret Turning Point (Esther 4)9. Esther’s Plan (Esther 5:1–8)10. The Gallows (Esther 5:9–14)11. Mordecai on Horseback (Esther 6)12. Haman’s Advisers: Fate versus Divine Providence (Esther 6:12–13)13. Esther’s Second Party (Esther 6:14–7:10)14. Mordecai Appointed over Haman’s House, and Esther before the King Again (Esther 8:1–8)15. Mordecai’s Letters (Esther 8:9–16)16. “Not One Good Thing Was Lacking” (Esther 8:17–9:4)17. Stages of the Festival’s Acceptance (Esther 9:15–32)18. The Greatness of the King and the Greatness of Mordecai (Esther 10)19. ConclusionIndexes

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Book SynopsisThis volume examines conditional structures in Old Babylonian from a linguistic point of view, drawing on a corpus of letters, law collections, and omens. All of the conditional patterns are provided with a syntactic characterization, so that each conditional sequence is differentiated from all other potential sequences. The volume includes detailed discussion about the values of various verbal and other predicative forms in the conditional structures occurring in the corpus, the differences between superficially similar conditional patterns, and the functions of the various conditional patterns. Many traditionally difficult points are treated and given suitable solutions. The concluding sections of each chapter include linguistic glosses and more general discussions that provide linguistic typologists a window onto the conditional system of Old Babylonian.Trade Review“The author, who had already published an important study on the modal system of Old Babylonian, is to be congratulated on the completion of this meticulous descriptive-analytical study. The three genre-related case studies form a harmonious set.”—Lutz Edzard Journal of the American Oriental Society

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Book SynopsisThis is the sixth volume of Babel und Bibel, an annual of ancient Near Eastern, Old Testament, and Semitic studies. The principal goal of the annual is to reveal the inherent relationship between Assyriology, Semitics, and biblical studies—a relationship that our predecessors comprehended and fruitfully explored but that is often neglected today. The title Babel und Bibel is intended to point to the possibility of fruitful collaboration among the three disciplines, in an effort to explore the various civilizations of the ancient Near East.The tripartite division of Babel und Bibel corresponds to its three principal spheres of interest: ancient Near Eastern, Old Testament, and Semitic studies. Contributions are further subdivided into articles, short notes, and reviews. Highlights of this volume include several studies on Akkadian language, Mesopotamian literature, and publication of inscriptions in some Russian museums (in the ancient Near Eastern section); studies on negative markers in Semitic and on Aramaic language (in the Semitics section); and some significant review essays on important new publications, especially in Hebrew language, Aramaic, Hurrian, Lycian, Egyptian, and Syriac.Table of ContentsArticlesAncient Near Eastern StudiesLes véhicules terrestres dans les textes de Mari, II: Le harnachement et l’équipement de chars en cuir et en tissu I. ArkhipovAkka von Kiš und die Arbeitsverweigerer J. KeetmanThe Old Babylonian Omens in the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow I. KhaitSF 50 // 52: Zwei bislang unerkannteDuplikate aus Fāra M. KrebernikThe Suffixing Conjugation of Akkadian: In Search of Its Meaning S. LoesovIPTANARRAS Can Render the “Basic” Present (Akkadian Sentences about the Present Time III/1) S. LoesovAkkadian of the Me-ságArchive E. MarkinaPhilological Notes on the First Tablet of the Standard BabylonianGilgameš Epic R. NurullinThe Name of Gilgameš in the Light of Line 47 of the First Tablet of the Standard Babylonian Gilgameš Epic R. NurullinAnother Attempt at Two Kassite Royal Inscriptions: The Agum-Kakrime Inscription and the Inscription of Kurigalzu the son of Kadashmanharbe T. OshimaSumerian: A Uralic Language II S. ParpolaOld Testament StudiesIntended Lexical Ambiguity in the Song of Songs Y. EidelkindAbram and Sarai in Egypt (Genesis 12:10–20) J. JoostenSemitic StudiesNegative markers *ˀay-, *ˀi-, and *ˀal- in Ethio-Semitic M. BulakhA New Attempt at Reconstructing Proto-Aramaic, I S. LoesovEin weiteres arabisches Syntagma in der altsüdarabischenEpigraphik P. SteinShort NotesAncient Near Eastern StudiesIdanda Archive and the Syrian Campaigns of Suppiluliuma I: New Pieces for the Puzzle D. GromovaMarginalia Sargonica. I L. Kogan and E. MarkinaAccusative casus pendens: Some Further Examples L. Kogan and M. WorthingtonOld Testament StudiesExodus 33:7 and Different Syntactic Patterns for Linking Participial Conditional Clauses with the Main Clause M. SeleznevReviewsAncient Near Eastern StudiesG. Neumann. Glossar des Lykischen. Überarbeitet und zum Druck gebracht von Johann Tischler A. KassianRecent Studies of Hurrian A. KassianH. Waetzoldt, H. Hauptmann (Hrsg.).Von Sumer nach Ebla und zurück. Festschrift für Giovanni Pettinato L. Kogan N. KoslovaOld Testament StudiesI. Young; R. Rezetko, with the assistance of M. Ehrensvärd. Linguistic Dating of Biblical Texts. An Introduction to Approaches and Problems J. JoostenSemitic StudiesAramaic in Its Historical and Linguistic Setting. Ed. by H. GzellaM. L. Folmer E. Barsky et al.Egyptian, Semitic and General Grammar. Studies in Memory of H. J. Polotsky.Ed. by G. Goldenberg andA. Shisha-Halevy M. BulakhC. A. Ciancaglini. Iranian Loanwords in Syriac L. Kogan and S. LoesovSh. Talay. Die neuaramäischen Dialekte der Khabur-Assyrer in Nordostsyrien: Einführung, Phonologie und Morphologie A. LyavdanskyG. Takács. Etymological Dictionary of Egyptian. III A. Militarev

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