Prophetic Divination: Collected Essays in Ancient Near Eastern Prophecy (Beihefte zur Zeitschrift fur die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft) (Beihefte ... fur die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, 494)

Prophecy was a wide-spread phenomenon in the ancient world - not only in ancient Israel but in the whole Eastern Mediterranean cultural sphere. This is demonstrated by documents from the ancient Near East, that have been the object of Martti Nissinen's research for more than twenty years. Nissinen's studies have had a formative influence on the study of the prophetic phenomenon. The present volume presents a selection of thirty-one essays, bringing together essential aspects of prophetic divination in the ancient Near East. The first section of the volume discusses prophecy from theoretical perspectives. The second sections contains studies on prophecy in texts from Mari and Assyria and other cuneiform sources. The third section discusses biblical prophecy in its ancient Near Eastern context, while the fourth section focuses on prophets and prophecy in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. Even prophecy in the Dead Sea Scrolls is discussed in the fifth section. The articles are essential reading for anyone studying ancient prophetic phenomenon. Preface 7 List of Original Publications 9 List of Abbreviations 13 Table of Contents 21 Part One: Prophecy in Theory 27 Prophecy as Construct, Ancient and Modern 27 Reflections on the “Historical-Critical” Method: Historical Criticism and Critical Historicism 53 What is Prophecy? An Ancient Near Eastern Perspective 77 Prophecy and Omen Divination: Two Sides of the Same Coin 99 Neither Prophecies nor Apocalypses: The Akkadian Literary Predictive Texts 111 Part Two: Prophecy in the Ancient Near East 127 The Socioreligious Role of the Neo-Assyrian Prophets 127 Non-Male Prophets in Ancient Near Eastern Sources 151 The Prophet and the Augur at Tušḫan, 611 BCE 177 Das kritische Potential in der altorientalischen Prophetie 187 Fear Not: A Study on an Ancient Near Eastern Phrase 219 The Exiled Gods of Babylon in Neo-Assyrian Prophecy 257 Marduk’s Return and Reconciliation in a Prophetic Letter from Arbela (with Simo Parpola) 269 City as Lofty as Heaven: Arbela and Other Cities in Neo-Assyrian Prophecy 291 A Prophetic Riot in Babylonia, 133 BCE 325 Part Three: Biblical Prophecy in Ancient Near Eastern Context 339 Die Relevanz der neuassyrischen Prophetie für die alttestamentliche Forschung 339 Biblical Prophecy from a Near Eastern Perspective: The Cases of Kingship and Divine Possession 375 Comparing Prophetic Sources: Principles and a Test Case 401 From Holy War to Holy Peace: Biblical Alternatives to Belligerent Rhetoric 421 Falsche Prophetie in neuassyrischer und deuteronomistischer Darstellung 443 Sacred Springs and Liminal Rivers: Water and Prophecy in the Ancient Eastern Mediterranean 465 Prophets and the Divine Council 485 Wisdom as Mediatrix in Sirach 24: Ben Sira, Love Lyrics, and Prophecy 503 Part Four: Prophecy in the Hebrew Bible 523 The Historical Dilemma of Biblical Prophetic Studies 523 Since When Do Prophets Write? 541 Prophets and Prophecy in Joshua–Kings: A Near Eastern Perspective 563 Das Problem der Prophetenschüler 587 The Dubious Image of Prophecy 601 (How) Does the Book of Ezekiel Reveal Its Babylonian Context? 621 The Book of Hosea and the Last Days of the Northern Kingdom: The Methodological Problem 637 Part Five: Prophecy in the Dead Sea Scrolls 655 Transmitting Divine Mysteries: The Prophetic Role of Wisdom Teachers in the Dead Sea Scrolls 655 Oracles at Qumran? Traces of Inspired Speakers in the Dead Sea Scrolls 675 Pesharim as Divination: Qumran Exegesis, Omen Interpretation and Literary Prophecy 687 Bibliography 705 Index of Names 775 Index of modern authors 783 Index of Ancient Near Eastern Sources 785 Index of Biblical References 791

Prophecy was a wide-spread phenomenon in the ancient world - not only in ancient Israel but in the whole Eastern Mediterranean cultural sphere. This is demonstrated by documents from the ancient Near East, that have been the object of Martti Nissinen's research for more than twenty years. Nissinen's studies have had a formative influence on the study of the prophetic phenomenon. The present volume presents a selection of thirty-one essays, bringing together essential aspects of prophetic divination in the ancient Near East.

The first section of the volume discusses prophecy from theoretical perspectives. The second sections contains studies on prophecy in texts from Mari and Assyria and other cuneiform sources. The third section discusses biblical prophecy in its ancient Near Eastern context, while the fourth section focuses on prophets and prophecy in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. Even prophecy in the Dead Sea Scrolls is discussed in the fifth section.

The articles are essential reading for anyone studying ancient prophetic phenomenon.

Martti Nissinen's research has had a formative influence on the study of prophecy for more than two decades. The 32 essays selected for this volume offer a wide-ranging view of prophetic divination. Some essays discuss prophecy from theoretical perspectives, while others contain detailed studies on prophecy in cuneiform sources, in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, as well as in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Altogether, this volume offers a ready starting point for many new and fruitful explorations of prophecy in the Anceint Near Eastern world. -- Provided by publisher, page 4 of cover