Donkeys in the biblical world : ceremony and symbol / Kenneth C. Way.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Way, Kenneth C.

Series:

History, archaeology, and culture of the Levant ; 2.

History, archaeology, and culture of the Levant ; 2

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Semites--Religion.

Semites.

Donkeys--Religious aspects--History.

Donkeys.

Middle East--Religious life and customs.

Middle East.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (290 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Winona Lake, IN : Eisenbrauns, 2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In this volume, Kenneth Way explores the role of donkeys in the symbolism and ceremonies of the biblical world. His study stands alone in providing a comprehensive examination of donkeys in ancient Near Eastern texts, the archaeological record, and the Hebrew Bible. Way demonstrates that donkeys held a distinct status in the beliefs and rituals of the ancient Near East and especially Canaan-Israel.The focus on ceremony and symbol encompasses social and religious thoughts and practices that are reflected in ancient texts and material culture relating to the donkey. Ceremonial considerations include matters of sacrifice, treaty ratification, consumption, death, burial, “scapegoat” rituals, and foundation deposits; symbolic considerations include matters of characterization, association, function, behavior, and iconographic depiction. However, the distinction between ceremony and symbol is not strict. In many cases, these two categories are symbiotic. The need for this study on donkeys is very apparent in the disciplines that study the biblical world. There is not a single monograph or article that treats this subject comprehensively. Philologists have discussed the meaning of the Amorite phrase “to kill a jackass,” and archaeologists have discussed the phenomenon of equid burials. But until now, neither philologists nor archaeologists have attempted to pull together all the ceremonial and symbolic data on donkeys from burials, ancient Near Eastern texts, and the Hebrew Bible. Way’s study fills this void.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 The Donkey in Ancient Near Eastern Texts

Chapter 3 The Donkey in Near Eastern Archaeology

Chapter 4 The Donkey in Biblical Literature

Chapter 5 Synthesis

Appendix: Equid Terminology

Bibliography

Indexes

Notes:

Gebaseerd op proefschrift Hebrew Union College, 2006.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781575066431

1575066432

OCLC:

792739732