Near Eastern Mythology

Fülszöveg

Mear Eastern Mythology
The Near East has often been called the 'cradle of civilisation'. But until comparatively recent archaeological discoveries we knew little of the beliefs of the early peoples. Now we can appreciate the richiiess of the myths of the Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians and Canaanites. And in this book we see the powerful influence that these stories had on the beliefs and myths of the Jews. The most famous Mesopotamian myth is the Gilgamesh Epic, which tells of the heroic adventures of the mighty Gilgamesh and his faithful comrade Enkidu. The legend culminates in Gilgamesh's descent to the underworld in search of immortality. There he hears the story of the Flood, which bears very close resemblances to the Flood story in Genesis, including loading an ark with every species of animal and sending out birds to test whether the water had receded.
The Mesopotamians and Canaanites worshipped many gods. But there are close resemblances between the characters and... Tovább

Fülszöveg

Mear Eastern Mythology
The Near East has often been called the 'cradle of civilisation'. But until comparatively recent archaeological discoveries we knew little of the beliefs of the early peoples. Now we can appreciate the richiiess of the myths of the Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians and Canaanites. And in this book we see the powerful influence that these stories had on the beliefs and myths of the Jews. The most famous Mesopotamian myth is the Gilgamesh Epic, which tells of the heroic adventures of the mighty Gilgamesh and his faithful comrade Enkidu. The legend culminates in Gilgamesh's descent to the underworld in search of immortality. There he hears the story of the Flood, which bears very close resemblances to the Flood story in Genesis, including loading an ark with every species of animal and sending out birds to test whether the water had receded.
The Mesopotamians and Canaanites worshipped many gods. But there are close resemblances between the characters and functions of the Mesopotamian Enlil and the Canaanite Baal. Both wield the weapon of lightning; both are champions of divine Order against the menace of Chaos. Baal, in Canaanite mythology, is far from the wicked monster portrayed in the Old Testament. The author seeks out the genuine historical facts behind such well-known stories as the exploits of Samson and the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt. He gives a fascinating account of the relationship between the human king and the divine king as viewed by the Mesopotamians, Canaanites and Israelites. The book is beautifully illustrated with many of the masterpieces of Near Eastern sculpture.
24 pages in colour. Over 100 illustrations in black and white. Index.
Vissza