Greek religion and culture, the Bible, and the ancient Near East / by Jan N. Bremmer.

• Superior document: Jerusalem studies in religion and culture, v. 8
• Author: Bremmer, Jan N.
• Year of Publication: 2008
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Jerusalem studies in religion and culture ; v. 8.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (444 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

In the last decades there has been an increasing interest in the relationship between Greek religion andamp; culture and the Ancient Near East. This challenging book contributes greatly to this interest by studying the Near Eastern background of important Greek myths, such as those of the creation of the world and the first woman, the Flood, the Golden Fleece, the Titans and travelling seers, but also of the births of Attis and Asclepius as well as the origins of the terms ‘paradise’ and ‘magic’. It also shows that, in turn, Greek literature influenced Jewish stories of divine epiphanies and that the Greek scapegoat myths and rituals contributed to the central Christian notion of atonement.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Material / J.N. Bremmer -- Chapter One. Canonical and alternative creation myths / J.N. Bremmer -- Chapter Two. Pandora or the creation of a greek Eve / J.N. Bremmer -- Chapter Three. The birth of Paradise / J.N. Bremmer -- Chapter Four. The first crime: Brothers and fratricide in the ancient Mediterranean / J.N. Bremmer -- Chapter Five. Greek Fallen angels: Kronos and the Titans / J.N. Bremmer -- Chapter Six. Near eastern and native traditions in Apollodorus’ account of the flood / J.N. Bremmer -- Chapter Seven. Don’t look back: From the wife of Lot to Orpheus and Eurydice / J.N. Bremmer -- Chapter Eight. Balaam, Mopsus and Melampous: Tales of travelling seers / J.N. Bremmer -- Chapter Nine. Hebrew Lishkah and greek Leschê / J.N. Bremmer -- Chapter Ten. The scapegoat between northern Syria, hittites, israelites, greeks and early Christians / J.N. Bremmer -- Chapter Eleven. Close encounters of the third kind: Heliodorus in the temple and Paul on the road to Damascus / J.N. Bremmer -- Chapter Twelve. Persian Magoi and the birth of the term ‘magic’ / J.N. Bremmer -- Chapter Thirteen. Anaphe, Apollo Aiglêtês and the origin of Asclepius / J.N. Bremmer -- Chapter Fourteen. Attis: A greek god in Anatolian Pessinous and Catullan Rome / J.N. Bremmer -- Chapter Fifteen. The myth of the Golden Fleece / J.N. Bremmer -- Appendix I. Genesis 1.1: A jewish response to a persian challenge? / J.N. Bremmer -- Appendix II. Magic and religion? / J.N. Bremmer -- Appendix Iiithe. Spelling and meaning of the name Megabyxos / J.N. Bremmer -- Bibliography / J.N. Bremmer -- Index of names, subjects and passages / J.N. Bremmer -- Jerusalem studies in religion and culture / J.N. Bremmer.