The Ugaritic Baal Cycle (2 vols.)

by Mark S. Smith; Wayne T. Pitard

Publisher:

Brill

, 1994–2009

Overview

Mark S. Smith and Wayne T. Pitard have produced the only commentary of its kind on the Ugaritic Baal Cycle, a collection of ancient Ugaritic stories centered around the Canaanite god Baal and his quest to become king. The characters of the Cycle are primarily the gods of Canaanite pantheon. The stories were originally written in Ugaritic, a Northwest Semitic language spoken in the city of Ugarit. The language was written in a cuneiform alphabet.

Anyone interested in Canaanite and biblical studies, ancient literary works, Semitic philology and linguistics, and the religion of Israel or the Ancient Near East will greatly appreciate these two volumes.

Key Features

• First ever translation and commentary of the Ugaritic Baal Cycle
• Translated and authored by leading Ugaritic scholars
• Provides a valuable window into the culture and religious life of Canaan.

Product Details

• Title: The Ugaritic Baal Cycle (2 vols.)
• Authors and Translators: Mark S. Smith and Wayne T. Pitard
• Series: Vetus Testamentum Supplements Series
• Publisher: Brill
• Volumes: 2
• Pages: lxxvii, 1,310

About the Authors

Mark S. Smith, Ph. D. Yale, 1985, is Skirball Professor of Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at New York University. He is the author of ten books on the religion of ancient Israel and Ugarit, most recently God in Translation: Deities in Cross-Cultural Discourse in the Biblical World, as well as many articles on the literature, religion and grammar in Ugaritic, the Hebrew Bible, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Wayne T. Pitard, Ph. D. Harvard, 1982, is Professor of Hebrew Bible in the Department of Religion and Director of the Spurlock Museum at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He is the author of Ancient Damascus and numerous articles on Ugaritic texts and epigraphy, as well as Syro-Palestinian history.