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Surviving texts from the Ancient Near East reveal a cosmology that included a dark underworld realm, principally associated with fertility cycles and describing fertility gods and goddesses who are captured and imprisoned in this realm. In this underworld contrary gods live permanently in a world without joy where there is only dust to eat and drink. This land also served as a great warehouse for dead mortals. It was not conspicuously a place of punishment, but hints of judgment and retribution are already evident, and these elements became significant elements in other cultures as the idea of hell developed. Evidence of this underworld are found in portions of five texts, which have been included here from: The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Descent of Inanna to the Netherworld, Baal and the Underworld, The Descent of Ishtar and The Vision of Kummâ. This work is published in conjunction with Hell-on-Line.org, a website that presents a comprehensive collection of materials on the more than 100 visions, tours and descriptions of the infernal otherworld from the cultures of the world from 2000 BCE to the present. Includes notes, glossary, web resources. ... Read more

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The three essays presented in this volume reveal the symbolic complexity and poetic vision of ancient Near Eastern mythology. Through the application of contemporary methods of literary analysis, the author explores the interrelated themes of erotic desire, divine conflict, and death’s realm in selected ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian mythological narratives. Topics include the construction of desire in the Gilgamesh epic, a psychoanalytic approach to “The Contendings of Horus and Seth,” and gender and the exercise of power in the stormy romance of Nergal and Ereshkigal. Walls’ fresh treatment of these three important myths brings them to life for the specialist and mythology buff alike. ... Read more

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One of the world's oldest recorded folktales tells the story of a handsome young man and the older woman in whose house he resides. Overcome by her feelings for him, the woman attempts to seduce him. When he turns her down she is enraged, and to her husband she accuses the young man of attacking her. The husband, seemingly convinced of his wife's innocence, has the young man punished. But it is precisely that punishment that leads to the hero's vindication and eventual rise to power and prominence.

In the West we know this tale--classified in folklore as the Potiphar's Wife motif--from its vivid narration in the Hebrew Bible. But as Shalom Goldman demonstrates in this book, the Bible's is only one telling of a story that appears in the scriptures and folklore of many peoples and cultures, in many different eras, including ancient Egypt, classical Greece, and ancient Mesopotamia, as well as post-Biblical Jewish literature, the Qur'an, and Inuit culture. Goldman compares and contrasts the treatment of this motif especially in the literature and lore of the ancient Near East, Biblical Israel, and early Islam, at the same time touching on gender issues--the status of women in Middle Eastern societies and the varying constructions of male-female relationships--and the vexed question of "originality" in the narratives of the monotheistic traditions. ... Read more

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Bible scholars dissect the gospels to separate the “Jesus of history” from the “Christ of faith.” This provocative study argues that the biblical characters of Jesus and David should be viewed not as historical figures, but as embodiments of Babylonian, Egyptian and Near Eastern mythology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

interesting an well researched
this is an extremely interestng and informing work.It is also very persuasive do to the objective and comprehensive evaluation of the evidence.I highly recommend it for the student or teacher of religious studies or anyone interested in Christian origns.

Less Than Convincing, But Still Useful to Some Readers
If you wish to read four hundred pages of detailed, well worked out, and adventurous exegisis of the Old Testatment as it applies to David and Jesus as myth fulfilling figures or fantasies, this should be your cup of tea.However, with an occassional tip of the hat to other ancient Near Eastern literary sources, this is what Thompson's book boils down to.Even in his essay on "The Myth of the Dying and Rising God" where one would expect a world of pagan material, Thompson's concerns are almost exclusively centered on the exegisis of OT material.

It is at this interface between OT material and the prior mythic traditions and literature of the Near East where Thompson is at his weakest.Considering his academic specialty, this is no surprise.However, his sub-title, "The Near Eastern Roots of Jesus and David," does not read Old Testament roots.Therefore, his project is a questionable success at best for the open minded.To his credit, he never actually indicates that it his intention to disprove a historical grounding of the figures of David and Jesus.This book should be read as massive cautionary to reading too much history into the Bible.

Other than general cranky dismissals of academics that do not agree with him, Thompson launches forth assuming that you, the reader, agree with his methodology and are up to assessing the validity of his exegisis.To fully assess and appreciate this work, the reader must be nearly as accomplished in OT exegetics as Thompson.That is a tall order.No alternative readings are supplied.Moments of crystal clarity are rare.Expect to put in a great deal of work for what you get.And what you get out of this book is directly dependent on the level of knowledge you bring to the task.

Interestingly, as would be expected, when dealing with the New Testament, Thompson spends twice as much ink on Matthew as he does on either Mark or Luke.Material on the Gospel of John is almost entirely missing.That Matthew the most "Jewish" of the gospels is most dependent on the OT should come as no great surprise.Also, in Thompson's scheme of things, the author of this gospel would have had to be as erudite as Thompson with subtle fully formed intentions regarding the use of myth and symbol.Was this the intention of the author of this particular "good news?"With a literacy rate of three percent or less in the Ancient World, this is an exceedingly problematic intent for the author of the gospel.We are better off for having this book.The only question is, will you be better informed after reading it?This book is very heavy intellectual lifting.

Very interesting
Thomas L Thompson, biblical scholar of the 'minimalist' school, here turns his attention the commonality of tropes in the stories of Jesus and David as Messiahs. Never clearly defining Jesus as never existing, he, nevertheless, raises some pertinant criticisms of the quest for a historical Jesus, arguing that the gospels are a coherent whole; that Jesus' teachings cannot be separated from the miracles etc to construct a scholars' historical version of the man from Galilee.

Thompson underpins this critique by highlighting the dependence of texts on each other for tropes and metaphors; his treatment of the temple cleansing is very enlightening, how his saying conflates Isaiah and Jeremiah to contrast and show who the true pure of Israel are. He also demonstrates that the use of 'OT' texts by the gospel writers are not just for prophetic proofs of Jesus' messiahship, but to construct a theology consistent with both Judaism and other Near Eastern thought.

Very insightful, and a useful book to reference whether for or against Thompson's argument.

Fresh and thought provoking
Thomas L. Thompson's "The Messiah Myth: The Near Eastern Roots of Jesus and David" deals with one of the most important and least discussed topics in New Testament studies: did a "historical Jesus" ever exist? Most "historical Jesus" scholars assume, without making the case for, the existence of Jesus, and that with the proper methodology and critical analysis of the gospels, we can find the authentic voice of Jesus. Most arguments for "Jesus as a myth" have been based on lack of reliable historical evidence and skepticism of the gospels, due to the fact that they were written with theological, not historical concerns in mind. Thompson takes these similar arguments but proves them from a compartive study between the Bible and other Near Eastern literature, showing that the New Testament is just another extension of an already existing discourse in the Near East.

Thompson argues that the New Testament is a work of literature that is concerned with theological discourse, and not history. Furthermore, there is little that is unique about the sayings, motifs, plotlines, morals, and literary styles. They can all be found in the Hebrew Bible, which in turn can be traced back to ancient Near Eastern literature. The dominant of these motifs is the Near Eastern concept of a "messiah" or king that acts as god's agent to liberate and bring peace and order to his people. This appears everywhere from inscriptions by Egyptian and Babylonian kings to the Psalms to the New Testament.

While there were many moments where I became highly convinced of Thompson's thesis, I still found several flaws to warrant a four star rating. A. Thompson tends to be way too skeptical. He even denies the synpotic problem and the borrowing of material between the gospel writers, without making a sensible case for it. He believes that most of the inscriptions of Near Eastern Kings are mythological propaganda and have little to do with history, without making the case. He even early on declares that Paul is just a name used by an author(s) of 1 Thessalonians. B. When demonstrating the roots of a "saying" of Jesus, in the texts, Thompson tends to loose his way and go off on another chain of themes that have nothing to do with the first. At points, he completely departs from Jesus and David and goes through an unrelated theme/character to either person. This can get very confusing and frustrating. C. I wish the inscriptions in the back were the actual texts and not just the summaries. They would have made Thompson's case stronger.

With that said, "Messiah Myth" is a fresh and thought provoking analysis of the historicity of Jesus, and a delight to read through the stories of the Hebrew Bible and Near East again.

Turgid and clueless
I picked this up as a $0.95 proof copy, because Freke & Gandy reference Prof. Thompson extensively in the chapter on Christianity in their new book, The Laughing Jesus: Religious Lies and Gnostic Wisdom.I'm glad I only paid $0.95, however, and will be donating this to the Housing Works charity bookstore soon.It shares two traits with most academic writing: it's atrociously written, and almost willfully obtuse about the deeper implications of its subject.

As for the writing: apart from the usual dreary academic prose, Thompson at no time bothers to formulate what his thesis is, or tell you how what he's analyzing supports it.Instead, one example after another from the New or Old Testament is selected, apparently at random, discussed a bit, and then dropped.So I am not at all sure if I have succeeded in "getting" his point, and so other reviewers may take me to task for "missing it."Tough; life is short, and I can't waste all my time on this book.

As far as I can tell, the thesis is that the writings of the OT and NT are literature, and need to be analyzed as such, not used as clues to determine the existence and nature of some historical figure.Thus (with my attempts to straighten out the syntax in brackets):

"It is especially difficult to determine whether we are in fact dealing with the story of a particular man's life, [in other words] a biography illustrating values we hold because of him.We may [instead] be dealing with a narrative figure, whose function is to illustrate universal or eternal values." [p. 136]

Thus while Schweitzer found a "historical Jesus" who was a failed apocalyptic prophet, the scholars of the Jesus Seminar (Crossan, Borg, etc.) have tried to locate "original" sayings from which they deduce some kind of Cynic philosopher or Galilean peasant.But both miss the point: "Jesus" is a fictional character, part of a story designed to illustrate and promote certain moral and political values, which was written by drawing on a host of literary themes present in Hebrew culture (the good king, who restores his kingdom of justice, which will last forever, etc.).

While Thompson is right so far, he fails to bring in the role of the Caesar Cult in framing the Jesus story; Jesus as a pro-underclass alternative to the triumphant Roman Caesar.More importantly, there isn't a trace of awareness of entheogens, mystery religions, and other experiential elements that permeated all Hellenistic culture.Like most (all?) scholars, Thompson seems to think the ancients were like him: sitting around reading and writing bad prose, and occasionally daring to take a swig of watered down "wine".Freke and Gandy, while not perfect, at least have a clue here.

Thus, I would suggest that if you want to follow up on Thompson from reading Freke & Gandy, just stick with them.(...)

Pace the the valediction of earlier reviewer, who had set himself the thankless task of actually trying to make sense of this book's argument page by page, I would suggest that the onus of proof is on those who claim someone *is* historical, especially if the account they offer of his life reads like "Goldilocks and the Three Bears"

Pros:Jesus is "myth-only" and his story is rooted in OT themes of kings and rulership;

Cons: Unreadable prose, academic cluelessness; lack of any input from, or awareness of, entheogens, altered state experience, mysteries, or even the Caesar Cult. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great book on early Near East myth
This is the first of the Myth and Mankind books i have read, but I have really enjoyed it. It lays out a large selection of near eastern myths in a story format that is easy to read and understand, while also providing notes about variations on the stories and some background information on the re-discovery of these myths. The photographs are excellent and include some less commonly seen artifacts along with the classics (you can't have an ancient near eastern book without a picture of the Standard of Ur). Althoughthis is not an extensive in-depth analysis of the myths, it is not overly simplistic or a children's book. It is a great introduction to the myths or the region and enjoyable to read.

Masterpice!!
This is easily one of the better developed Myth and Mankind books. The book is well rounded in scope between all of the ancient Middle East cultures and provides amazing comparisons between them. From Sumerian, Hittite, Babylonian and Assyrian myths this book does an exceedingly proficient job of providing suficient myths of the pantheons of all cultures as well as background and side/hero stories.

The tales in this book are very invigorating as well as exciting and provide a wealth of information on Middle Eastern Mythology expecially in terms of pantheons, creation and hero tales. The stories as well are often accompanied with vivd pictures or descriptions to add to the whole flamboyant presentation of the book and provide real life evidence of the culture through history and artifacts.

Much like the other books in the series this book does an exceptional job of using comparitive mythology to analyze the cultures of the region between each other as well as on a global view. The books power to provide direct and engaging examples of myth between cultures provides for an amazing view of how all the cultures shared beliefs as well as to how different cultures adopted and manipoulated certain myths for their own region.

I would highly recomend this book as well as the rest of the Myth and Mankind series for a fan of comparitive mythology as well as a fan of ancient world culture an mythology. ... Read more

Product Description

Ancient Greece has for too long been studied in isolation from its Near Eastern neighbors. And the ancient Near East itself has for too long been seen as an undifferentiated cultural monolith. Classics and Near Eastern Studies, in our modern universities, continue to be separated by various disciplinary, linguistic, and ideological walls. Yet there is a growing trend to dismantle these divides and look at the Greek world within its fullest geographical and cultural contexts.

This book aims to bring the comparative study of Greek and Near Eastern cosmogonies to a new level. It analyzes themes such as succession myths, expressions of poetic inspiration, and claims to cosmic knowledge, as well as the role of itinerant specialists in the transmission of theogonies. Rather than compiling literary parallels from different periods and languages and treating the Near East as a monolithic matrix, the author focuses on the motifs specific to the North-West Semitic tradition with which the Greeks had direct contact in the Archaic period. Focusing on Hesiod's Theogony, the Orphic texts, and their Ugaritic, Phoenician, and Hebrew counterparts, Carolina López-Ruiz avoids traditional diffusionist assumptions and proposes instead that dynamic cultural interaction led to the oral and intimate transmission of stories and beliefs.

Customer Reviews (1)

The new ancient Greece
When The Gods Were Born is not just an original and fresh interpretation of the transmission of oriental religious and cosmogonic themes into ancient Greek civilization. It provides a model of cultural interpenetration that is itself new, making the ancient world come alive as if it were our own. Lopez-Ruiz says it best: "The rigid scholarly model of textual transmission, still defended by many classicists, needs to be replaced (for this period at least). The new model needs to be one of mainly oral and intimate transmission of stories and beliefs not from "foreigners" to "Greeks," from the "informant" to the "adapter," but between mothers and sons, nannies and children, peers in commercial enterprises, artists and apprentices, religious specialists, and so on. This type of contact allowed a great number of cultural boundaries to be transcended, and also made the traditions in question more flexible than a textual model will allow." Lopez-Ruiz provides close readings of Hesiod's Theogony, the Orphic texts of itinerant magicians and charismatics, the Baal cycle and other seminal myths. She presents a dynamic, fluid ancient Near East in which "Greece is part of Asia." It's a work both scholarly and dramatic, always highlighting the humanity of people who have long been regarded as sterile figures in dusty old books no one reads any more. ... Read more

Product Description
Among the numerous deities invested with special spheres of responsibilityin ancient Egypt Mr.t is charged with the salutation of the deity (kingor god) and the provision of cult-music. Since there is no lack of sourcematerial relating to the goddess from all periods right down to Roman times,Mr.t readily provides an exemplary demonstration of a minor deity'stransformation through time. Her original deification must have taken placeduring the 4th and 5th dynasties when the chorus designated Mr.t came tobe personified as the ritual figure "Mr.t upon the house of Gold" at theHebsed and the first "Priests-of-Mr. t"-titles appeared. To thecharacteristic iconography, tress of hair and special gesture taken over fromthe chorus by the deity more symbols came to be added: the mysterious House ofGold, the place where statues were fashioned; the heraldic plants of Upper andLower Egypt; and, in Ptolemaic times, the harp. ... Read more

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Paperback. The volume contains twelve papers read at a symposium organized to honour Dr. Maurits van Loon on the occasion of his statutory retirement as Professor of Western Asiatic Archaeology at the University of Amsterdam. The subject of Natural Phenomena has, until now, not been dealt with in a comprehensive fashion for the Ancient Near East. The authors approach phenomena such as the moon, the sun, the rainbow, storms, rivers and Nature itself from various points of view: philological, archaeological, art-historical, religious and philosophical. The book presents important new interpretations of Mesopotamian and Hittite Cosmogony, next to new readings of pertinent texts and signs; new explanations of long-known artistic monuments as well as new iconographical material are also found.

These essays by prominent scholars will stimulate not only their colleagues and students, but also a wide scala of laymen interested in all aspects of ancient culture ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Too Bad this Book is So Short
Block has come out with his second edition of _Gods of the Nations_ in which he proposes that peoples in the Ancient Near East saw themsleves as members of a national state. Members of a national state were ones who saw themselves as related not just as members of a certain territory but related by other factors as well. Foremost among these latter was kin relationship.

Block proposes that there was a relationship between the deities of the ANE, the land, and the people which was similar to a feudal system. The land was given to or reserved by the deity who gave it to the people. Each member of this triad had responsibilities which Block investigates. Thus the conduct of the people was subject to the accounting of the deity.

Too bad this book is so short. Block spends too little time addressing the fact that political realities in the ANE shaped theological documents. For example on page 118, Block notes the titular deity of Ur is forced out because Ur has been destroyed.
Block could use these political realities to explain the religious syncretism of ancient Israel as known from the archaeological record. Rather than do that, Block concentrates upon biblical texts to explain the rights and demands of the deity upon the people, and then he uses extra-biblical texts to explain the end of the deity-people relationship.

A fascinating thesis worthy of a second edition. I will refer to this book often during future reading.

Yahweh in the context of the Ancient Near East
Dr. Block takes us on a tour of the Ancient Near East, comparing Israel and Yahweh to the neighboring gods and religions.

Using this book, one will be able to gain a working familiarity with some of the more common religious thought forms of the Bronze and Iron ages.A major conclusion of his work is that Yahweh is distinct from all the other gods in that he cares for a people while all the other gods care only for their lands.Yahweh is the electing God of love and mercy.

For gaining a better understanding of the Old Testament world, books such as this are indispensable.Block is a master teacher who knows how to systematically present ancient texts and beliefs.In the end he arrives at a profound restatement of Yahweh and His relation to Israel, resulting in a summary exposition of Ezekiel 8-11. In that text we discover how the Glory of Yahweh leaves the temple and heads east to leave Jerusalem and depart from Israel.This movement is explained in the Babylonian context where gods often leave temples when they are dragged away by captors.Yahweh, however, is unique in that his departure is voluntary and under his own power, for he is doing with the other gods can not and do not do.My summary can not do justice, you really need to get the book and read all the details for yourself.

The book is divided into five basic chapters that can each be read in one sitting.As a result, I found myself reading this book in less than a week -- and with little effort, which is good for me being that I am slowest of all readers. That is, I did not find myself spending all my free time reading, but the pages evaporated into the past as quickly as they appeared: the reading was over before I realized what hit me.

I have spent a good amount of time reading Ancient Near Eastern material, and I feel like this treaties has been the most pleasant and enjoyable.One critique I would give, which is really a wish and not a critique, is that it would be nice if there were a chapter on the New Testament.I would like to see Block develop his theme in relation to Jesus, who is the Lord of the New Exodus.Jesus is the "Yahweh-Saves" Man, and it would be wonderful to see how Block would incorporate this into his overall scheme (in my mind, the idea is perfectly complimentary to Block�s present thesis, and I�d like to read the good professor�s take on the matter).Where Block does not develop the theme, I recommend reading "God Crucified" by Richard Bauckham (available on Amazon), or "The Challenge of Jesus" by N.T. Wright, esp. chapter 5, also available on Amazon. ... Read more

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This investigation of the horn motif in the Old Testament and contemporary reference to the use of the motif in apocalyptic writings. Number 4 in the Andrews University Seminary Doctoral Dissertation Series. PUBCOMMENTS: ... Read more

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The Odyssey's larger plot is composed of a number of distinct genres of myth, all of which are extant in various Near Eastern cultures (Mesopotamian, West Semitic, Egyptian). Unexpectedly, the Near Eastern culture with which the Odyssey has the most parallels is the Old Testament. Consideration of how much of the Odyssey focuses on non-heroic episodes - hosts receiving guests, a king disguised as a beggar, recognition scenes between long-separated family members - reaffirms the Odyssey's parallels with the Bible. In particular the book argues that the Odyssey is in a dialogic relationship with Genesis, which features the same three types of myth that comprise the majority of the Odyssey: theoxeny, romance (Joseph in Egypt), and Argonautic myth (Jacob winning Rachel from Laban). The Odyssey also offers intriguing parallels to the Book of Jonah, and Odysseus' treatment by the suitors offers close parallels to the Gospels' depiction of Christ in Jerusalem. ... Read more

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This volume deals with the religious practices of the family in the ancientBabylonian, Syrian, and Israelite civilizations. On the basis of a wealth ofdocuments from both the private and the literary realm, the book gives anexhaustive description and analysis of the rites of the ancestor cult and thedevotion to local gods. The author demonstrates the role of these two aspectsof family religion in the identity construction of its followers. The sectiondealing with Israel pays particular attention to the relationship betweenfamily religion and state religion. The emergence of the state religion underKing Saul marked the beginning of a competition between civil and privatereligion. Though the two had great influence upon each other, the tensionbetween them was never resolved. A study of their interaction proves to be akey for the understanding of the development of Israelite religion during themonarchic period.The book is of particular importance to biblical scholars, Assyriologists,and all those interested in the history of ancient Near Eastern religion. ... Read more