Ancient Israelite Literature in Its Cultural Context: A Survey of Parallels Between Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Texts

257 Pages·1990·9.56 MB·English

by  John H. Walton

library of Biblical Interpretation
A Survey of Parallels Between
Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Texts
JOHN H
WALTON
ZondervanPublishingHouse
Academic and Professional Books
Grand Rapids, Michigan
A Division ofHarperCollinsPublisbers
ANCIENT ISRAELITE LITERATURE IN ITS CULTURAL CONTEXT
Copyright © 1989 by John H. Walton
Second printing 1990 with corrections and additions.
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan Publishing House
Academic and Professional Books
1415 Lake Drive S.E.
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Walton, John H., 1952-
Ancient Israelite literature in its cultural context : a survey of
parallels between biblical and ancient Near Eastern literature /
John H. Walton,
p. cm.
Includes bibliographies and index.
ISBN 0-310-36590-2
1. Middle Eastern literature-Relation to the Old Testament.
2. Bible. O.T.-Criticism, interpretation, etc. 3. Bible. O.T.-
-Comparative studies. 4. Bible. O.T.-Extra-canonical parallels.
I. Title.
BS1171.2.W35 1989
221.6-dc20 89-33403
CIP
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE:
NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (North American Edition). Copyright © 1973,
1978, 1984, by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible
Publishers.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechani­
cal, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed
reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
90 91 92 93 94 95 96 / DH / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
This edition is printed on acid-free paper and meets the American National Standards
Institute Z39.48 standard.
In Memory of Cyril F. Can
1949-1982
CONTENTS
Map 8
List of Abbreviations 9
Acknowledgments 11
Introduction 13
Chapter 1
Cosmology 19
Materials
Discussion
Cases of Alleged Borrowing
For Further Reading
Chapter 2
Personal Archives and Epics 45
Materials
Discussion
Cases of Alleged Borrowing
For Further Reading
Chapter 3
Legal Texts 69
Materials
Discussion
Excursus: Law in Egypt
For Further Reading
Chapter 4
Covenants and Treaties 95
Materials
Discussion
For Further Reading
Chapter 5
Historical Literature Ill
Materials
Discussion
Cases of Alleged Borrowing
For Further Reading
Chapter 6
Hymns, Prayers, and Incantations 135
Materials
Discussion
Excursus: Lamentations Over Fall of a City
Cases of Alleged Borrowing
For Further Reading
Chapter 7
Wisdom Literature 169
Materials
Discussion
Excursus: Love Poetry
Cases of Alleged Borrowing
For Further Reading
Chapter 8
Prophetic Literature 201
Materials
Discussion
For Further Reading
Chapter 9
Apocalyptic Literature 217
Materials
Discussion
Excursus: Ecclesiastes
For Further Reading
Chapter 10
Summary and Conclusions 229
Summary of Similarities and Differences in Literature
Summary of Case for Alleged Borrowing
Summary of Fundamental Religious Distinctions
For Further Reading
Index of Subjects 249
Index of Names 254

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
AASOR Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research
AEL Ancient Egyptian Literature, 3 vols., Miriam Lichtheim (University
of California, 1976)
AfO Archiv fiir Orientforschung
AHw Akkadisches Handwdrterbuch, Wolfram von Soden
AJA American Journal of Archaeology
AJSL American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literature
AnBib Analecta Biblica
ANET Ancient Near Eastern Texts, 3d ed., ed. James Pritchard (Prince­
ton, 1969)
AOAT Alter Orient und Altes Testament
ARM Archives royales de Mari
AS Assyriological Studies
AUSS Andrews University Seminar Studies
BA Biblical Archaeologist
BASOR Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research
BG The Babylonian Genesis, A. Heidel (Chicago: University of Chi­
cago Press, 1951)
BibSac Bibliotheca Sacra
BM British Museum
BO Bibliotheca Orientalis
BWL Babylonian Wisdom Literature, W. G. Lambert (Oxford, 1960)
CAD Chicago Assyrian Dictionary
CAH3 Cambridge Ancient History, 3d ed.
CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly
CBS Catalogue of the Babylonian Section (University Museum, Philadel­
phia)
CT Cuneiform Texts of the British Museum
CTA Corpus des Tablettes en Cuneiformes alphabetiques, Andree Herdner
(Geuthner, 1963)
EQ Evangelical Quarterly
G Gadd, C. J., publication of Nuzi texts in RA 23 (1926): 49-61
GTJ Grace Theological Journal
HSS Harvard Semitic Series
HTR Harvard Theological Review
HUCA Hebrew Union College Annual
IDB Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, ed. G. A. Buttrick et al.
(Nashville, 1962)
IEJ Israel Exploration Journal
JANES Journal of the Ancient Near East Society
JAOS Journal of the American Oriental Society
JBL Journal of Biblical Literature
JCS Journal of Cuneiform Studies
JEA Journal of Egyptian Archaeology
JEN Joint Expedition with the Iraq Museum at Nuzi
JEOL Jaarbericht van het Vooraziatisch—Egyptisch Genootschap ex Orient
Lux
JESHO Journal of Economic and Social History of the Orient
JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society