The Rituals and Myths of the Feast of the Goodly Gods of KTU CAT 1.23: Royal Constructions of Opposition, Intersection, Integration, and Domination (SBL - Resources for Biblical Study)

In a fresh, in-depth study of the Ugaritic text often called “The Birth of the Beautiful Gods,” Smith applies the tools of detailed philological analysis and recent theoretical advances in the study of myth and ritual to illuminate this text as a sophisticated, integrated whole. In a series of rituals and myths, “The Feast of the Goodly Gods” captures a ritual moment of cosmic integration between the beneficial deities and the destructive cosmic enemies, in particular the gods after whom the text is named. This important volume not only brings the world of this fascinating Ugaritic text to life, setting it clearly within its royal context, but also provides a model for the integration of philological analysis and contemporary theories especially ritual studies in the interpretation of ancient texts, including the Bible. Contents......Page 8 Abbreviations ............................................................................................................... ix......Page 10 Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................... xi......Page 12 Preface: Rationale and Procedure ........................................................................... xiii......Page 14 PART 1: INTRODUCTION AND TEXT......Page 20 1. Introduction and Text ..................................................................................... 3......Page 22 PART 2: COMMENTARY......Page 48 2. Lines 1–29: Ritual Actions and Narrative Recitations .................................... 31......Page 50 3. Lines 30–76: Divine Narrative ......................................................................... 73......Page 92 PART 3: GENERAL INTERPRETATION......Page 144 4. The Question of “Sacred Marriage” and the Textual Relations between Lines 1–29 and 30–76 .....127......Page 146 5. Intersecting Genres and Cultural Codes .................................................... 145......Page 164 Bibliography ...................................................................................................... 167......Page 186 Subject Index ....................................................................................................18 1......Page 200 Index of Modern Authors ............................................................................... 18 7......Page 206 Index of Primary Sources ................................................................................ 1 91......Page 210 In a fresh, in-depth study of the Ugaritic text often called "The Birth of the Beautiful Gods," Smith applies the tools of detailed philological analysis and recent theoretical advances in the study of myth and ritual to illuminate this text as a sophisticated, integrated whole. In a series of rituals and myths, "The Feast of the Goodly Gods" captures a ritual moment of cosmic integration between the beneficial deities and the destructive cosmic enemies, in particular the gods after whom the text is named. This important volume not only brings the world of this fascinating Ugaritic text to life, setting it clearly within its royal context, but also provides a model for the integration of philological analysis and contemporary theories, especially ritual studies, in the interpretation of ancient texts, including the Bible.

About the Author:
Mark S. Smith is Skirball Professor of Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at New York University

Text of the work known as The birth of the beautiful gods, in parallel columns: Ugaritic (romanized) and English (p. 18-25), with commentary and discussion in English