INCANTATIONS, PRAYER, POWER AND DESPAIR:
RELIGION IN THE BIBLE AND ITS WORLD
Near Eastern Studies 130.313  Summer Session 2008
Theodore J. Lewis
Blum-Iwry Professor and Chair
Department of Near Eastern Studies
Dell House, 9th Floor
Email: tjl@jhu.edu
The biblical world pulsated with different forms of
religious expression. Individual worship, family ritual,
priestly regulations, and royal cult jostled with
thundering prophets, awestruck poets, and cynical
philosophers. Through ancient texts and recent
archaeological discoveries, we will investigate the many
and often conflicting worlds of biblical religion.
I. TEXTBOOKS
A. An English Bible of your choosing as long as it is a modern translation and
not a paraphrase. Recommended translations: The New Oxford Annotated Bible:
Revised Standard Version (RSV) or the Jewish Publication Society’s TANAKH
(JPS). [I will be using the RSV for in-class readings. Copies of the RSV are
available at the university bookstore. On-line versions are readily accessible.
See, for example, the RSV web page posted by the Humanities Text Initiative
of the University of Michigan at http://www.hti.umich.edu/r/rsv/. This
site allows for word, phrase, proximity, and citation searches.]
B. Nicolas Wyatt, Religious Texts from Ugarit: The Words of Ilimilku and his
Colleagues (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1998) ISBN 1-85075-847-6
C. Philip J. King and Lawrence E. Stager, Life in Biblical Israel (Louisville:
Westminster John Knox Press, 2001) [Recommended only, not required]
D. Various articles obtained through Electronic Reserve.
E. A computerized concordance to be able to search the Bible via topic, keyword,
phrase or passage. (See the above URL for UMI's Humanities Text Initiative
or simply go to Google and search for "Bible concordance" to find a sampling
of free on-line versions.)
II. REQUIREMENTS
A. Required readings from the two textbooks and various articles on E-reserve.
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B. Occasional written assignments to stimulate your thinking prior to class
discussions. These will be short answers that students will research and
answer prior to class. Bring two copies to class; one to hand in for grading, the
other to use for class participation.
III. ASSESSMENT
A. Occasional Written Assignments: 33.3%
B. Midterm Exam: 33.3%
C. Final Exam: 33.3%
IV. TENTATIVE OUTLINE
I. What is Religion?
A. Functionalist Definitions
B. Phenomenological Definitions
II. The Nature of Our Sources
A. What is the nature of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament?
B. What is the Nature of the “Canaanite” Texts from Ancient Syria?
C. Literary Genres
III. The World of the Gods
IV. The Iconography of the Gods
V. The Hebrew Bible’s Aniconic Tradition
VI. The God(s) of the Hebrew Bible and Biblical Archaeology
VII. How to Navigate a Supernatural World
A. Rituals (e.g. Healing, Blood, Covenant)
B. The Power of Words (Incantations, Prayer, etc.)
C. In Ancient Syria
D. In Ancient Israel
VIII. The Sociology of Religion
A. Family/Domestic Religion in Ancient Syria
B. Family/Domestic Religion in Ancient Israel
C. Royal Cult in Ancient Syria
D. Royal Cult in Ancient Israel
E. Priests and other Elite Officiants in Ancient Syria
F. Priests in Ancient Israel
G. Power & Anti-Power: Prophetic Religion
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a.
b.
c.
d.
Prophecy and Divination in the Ancient Near East
Prophetic Call Narratives
Of Prophets and Kings
Of Violence, Divine Warriors & Peace
IX. The Philosophy of Religion
A. Wisdom Literature: Proverbs, Qohelet and Job
B. Compassion, Humility and Love