Description
By (author) Mark S. Smith; By (author) Smith Mark S.
Short /annotation
Ancient Israel”s neighbours worshipped a wide variety of gods. It is now widely accepted that the Israelites” God, Yahweh, must have originated as one among these many. Mark Smith here seeks to discover more precisely what was meant by “divinity” in the ancient near-East, and how these concepts apply to Yahweh.
As the bible tells us, ancient Israel”s neighbours worshipped a wide variety of gods. It is now widely accepted that the Israelites” God, Yahweh, must have originated as one among these many, before assuming the role of the one true God of monotheism. Mark Smith here seeks to discover more precisely what was meant by “divinity” in the ancient near-East, and how these concepts apply to Yahweh. Part One of the book offers a detailed examination of the deities ofancient Ugarit, known to us from the largest surviving group of relevant extra-biblical texts. In Part Two, Smith looks closely at four classic problems associated with four Ugaritic deities, and considers how they affect our understanding of Yahweh. At the end of the book he returns to the question ofIsraelite monotheism, seeking to discover what religious issues it addressed and why it made sense at the time of its emergence. He argues that within the Bible, monotheism is not a separate “stage” of religion but rather represents a kind of rhetoric reinforcing Israel”s exclusive relation with its deity.
Review quote
“Brilliant, well-documented, well-organized, and very discomforting. Biblical scholars now recognize that in the pre-exilic era Asherah worship, infant sacrifice, solar veneration, and other religious practices attacked by biblical authors represented normal Israelite worship, while monotheism was a late development in the Babylonian Exile and subsequent years. Smith and others led the charge in this new scholarly perception of Israelite religion. But with thisvolume Smith has thrown down a gauntlet to challenge our understandings even more. Smith has produced a seminal work with which scholars must come to grips for years.”—Journal of Hebrew Scriptures
Biographical note
Mark S. Smith is Skirball Professor of Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at New York University.His publications include The Pilgrimage Pattern in Exodus (1997), The Ugaritic Baal Cycle (1994), The Early History of God (1990), as well as several other books on the Hebrew Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and West Semitic mythology and literature.
Publisher”s notice
Mark S. Smith is Skirball Professor of Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at New York University.His publications include The Pilgrimage Pattern in Exodus (1997), The Ugaritic Baal Cycle (1994), The Early History of God (1990), as well as several other books on the Hebrew Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and West Semitic mythology and literature.
Review quote: previous edition
“This is an important work which will alter the perspectives of many.”–The Bible Today”Not only is the text wide-ranging and insightful at every turn, but it is greatly complemented by the endnotes, which resume arguments, develop tangential aspects, and offer a massive bibliography for further exploration.”–Journal of Near Eastern Studies”Brilliant, well-documented, well-organized, and very discomforting. Biblical scholars now recognize that in the pre-exilic era Asherah worship, infant sacrifice, solar veneration, and other religious practices attacked by biblical authors represented normal Israelite worship, while monotheism was a late development in the Babylonian Exile and subsequent years. Smith and others led the charge in this new scholarly perception of Israelite religion. But with thisvolume Smith has thrown down a gauntlet to challenge our understandings even more. Smith has produced a seminal work with which scholars must come to gri
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