Archival Documents from the Biblical World (The Context of Scripture, vol. 3)
Overview
The Hebrew Bible is filled with references to people, places, deities, customs, beliefs, practices and traditions of the ancient Near Eastern world. Egyptians, Assyrians, Canaanites, Hittites, and Babylonians appear as central figures in many biblical narratives. Thus it is fitting that students of the Bible turn to the literary remains of these civilizations to understand how they shaped the biblical world.
The Context of Scripture is an impressive three-volume collection of these ancient Near Eastern writings in English translations. Each translation is accompanied by cross references to related biblical texts, allowing users of the electronic edition to easily search for ancient writings that relate to a given passage. The translations also sport extensive notes and thorough bibliographies, to help the student understand the texts and provide avenues for further study.
Volume III, Archival Documents from the Biblical World, provides a generous selection from the vast number of legal, commercial and private documents preserved from pre-classical antiquity. These courtcases, contracts, accounts and letters, so often slighted or underrepresented in older anthologies, throw a bright light on the daily life of ordinary human beings as recorded by their contemporaries. In addition, exhaustive indices to all three volumes identify and classify all proper names and many of the themes struck throughout the work.
- Cross references to related Biblical text
- Extensive notes and bibliographies
- Ideal for students and pastors
Top Highlights
“From the present day on, before Ammistamru, son of Niqmepa, king of Ugarit,1 Kalbiya, son of Kabityanu, has released 6 ikû fields,2 around the fields of the city3 for 520 (shekels) of silver4 to Kurwanu,5 son of Baʾal-azki and to his sons. These fields are granted6 to Kurwanu and to his sons forever. No person shall take away these fields from the hands of Kurwanu, or from the hands of his sons forever. And there is no pilku-service from these fields.” (Page 257)
“From the present day on, Ammistamru, son of Niqmepa, king of Ugarit,1 has taken the houses and fields of Abutenu and given them to Abdi-Ḫagab,2 son of Shapidanu, and his sons forever. And the pilku3-service of tradership4 he has to perform.5 Next: while Abdi-Ḫagab performs this pilku-service of tradership, nobody shall take from the hands of Abdi-Ḫagab and from the hands of his sons (and) grandsons (the houses and fields) forever.” (Pages 256–257)
“When your servant had finished (his) reaping and had stored it a few days ago, Hoshayahu ben Shabay came and took your servant’s garment.c When I had finished my reaping, at that time, a few days ago, he took your servant’s garment.” (Page 77)
“So send your messengers to His Majesty quickly and send presents to the king together with presents also for me.” (Page 53)
“And now,2 give to the Kittim3 three b(at-measures)4 of wine and write down the date.5 a” (Page 82)
…the three volumes in COS will be reliable and frequently used companions of Old Testament scholars in the next fifty years. Biblical commentaries and journal articles will regularly refer to them.
—Ralph W. Klein, Currents, 2001
…an up-to-date and indispensable collection of Near Eastern literature.
—William M. Schniedewind, Religious Studies Review, 2001
Given the high quality of this compendium, one of the editors' hopes for this series would seem to be well founded, namely, that The Context of Scripture will become a standard reference work in college, seminary, and university libraries well into the twenty-first century.
—Gary N. Knoppers, Review of Biblical Literature, April 2000
- Title: The Context of Scripture, Volume Three: Archival Documents from the Biblical World
- Author: William W. Hallo
- Series: Context of Scripture
- Publisher: Brill
- Print Publication Date: 2002
- Logos Release Date: 2004
- Era: era:Contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Bible. O.T. › Extra-canonical parallels; Middle Eastern literature › Relation to the Old Testament; Bible. O.T. › History of contemporary events--Sources; Middle Eastern literature › Translations into English
- ISBNs: 9789004106208, 9004106200
- Resource ID: LLS:8.20.6
- Resource Type: text.monograph.ancient-manuscript.translation
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-10-05T16:48:02Z
William W. Hallo is the William M. Laffan Professor of Assyriology and Babylonian Literature and Curator of the Babylonian Collection at Yale University. He holds degrees from Harvard, Leiden, and Chicago. He is author or co-author of Seals and Seal Impressions (2001), The Ancient Near East: a History (1998, 1971), Origins (1997), The Book of the People (1991), Scripture in Context (4 vols. 1980-1991), Heritage: Civilization and the Jews (2 vols. 1984), The Tablets of Ebla (1984), Sumerian Archival Texts (1973), The Exaltation of Inanna (1968), and Early Mesopotamian Royal Titles (1957).
K. Lawson Younger, Jr., Ph.D. (1988) at the University of Sheffield is Professor of Old Testament, Semitic Languages and Ancient Near Eastern History at Trinity International University -- Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois. He is the author of Ancient Near Eastern Conquest Accounts: A Study of Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical History Writing (1990), co-editor of Mesopotamia and the Bible (2002), as well as numerous scholarly articles and reviews.