A history of Zoroastrianism /
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This volume traces the history of Zoroastrianism at times and places where its existence has previously been largely ignored, or treated only episodically. Literary, archaeological and numismatic evidence has been drawn on (some of it only recently brought to light), and local developments are distinguished. In Iran itself some 200 years of Macedonian rule had little effect on the national religion. To the east, Zoroastrianism survived in the Greco-Bactrian kingdoms and under Mauryan suzereinty, where it came into contact with Buddhism. In Eastern Mediterranean lands it was maintained by Iranian expatriates well down into Roman imperial times. They adopted Greek for their written tongue, and Zoroastrian doctrines thus became known in the Greco-Roman world. Study is made accordingly of Zoroastrian contributions to Hellenistic thought, and to Judaism, Christianity and Mithraism; and an excursus provides a thorough reassessment of the Zoroastrian pseudepigrapha.
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Vol. 3 written by Mary Boyce and Frantz Grenet, with a conritution by Roger Beck. :
1 online resource (xx, 596 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789004293915 :
0169-9423 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Handbook of Ugaritic studies /
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Over the past seven decades, the scores of publications on Ugarit in Northern Syria (15th to 11th centuries BCE) are so scattered that a good overall view of the subject is virtually impossible. Wilfred Watson and Nicolas Wyatt, the editors of the present Handbook in the series Handbook of Oriental Studies, have brought together and made accessible this accumulated knowledge on the archives from Ugarit, called 'the foremost literary discovery of the twentieth century' by Cyrus Gordon. In 16 chapters a careful selection of specialists in the field deal with all important aspects of Ugarit, such as the discovery and decipherment of a previously unknown script (alphabetic cuneiform) used to write both the local language (Ugaritic) and Hurrian and its grammar, vocabulary and style; documents in other languages (including Akkadian and Hittite), as well as the literature and letters, culture, economy, social life, religion, history and iconography of the ancient kingdom of Ugarit. A chapter on computer analysis of these documents concludes the work. This first such wide-ranging survey, which includes recent scholarship, an extensive up-to-date bibliography, illustrations and maps, will be of particular use to those studying the history, religion, cultures and languages of the ancient Near East, and also of the Bible and to all those interested in the background to Greek and Phoenician cultures.
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1 online resource (xiii, 892 (3) pages) : illustrations, maps. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 755-823) and index. :
9789004294103 :
0169-9423 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
A history of the animal world in the ancient Near East /
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This book is about all aspects of man's contact with the animal world; sacrifice, sacred animals, diet, domestication, in short, from the sublime to the mundane. Chapters on art, literature, religion and animal husbandry provide the reader with a complete picture of the complex relationships between the peoples of the Ancient Near East and (their) animals. A reference guide and key to the menagerie of the Ancient Near East, with ample original illustrations.
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1 online resource (xxii, 620 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 537-601) and index. :
9789047400912 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
A grammar of neo-Aramaic : the dialect of the Jews of Arbel /
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Being direct descendants of the Aramaic spoken by the Jews in antiquity, the still spoken Jewish Neo-Aramaic dialects of Kurdistan deserve special and vivid interest. Geoffrey Khan's A Grammar of Neo-Aramaic is a unique record of one of these dialects, now on the verge of extinction. This volume, the result of extensive fieldwork, contains a description of the dialect spoken by the Jews from the region of Arbel (Iraqi Kurdistan), together with a transcription of recorded texts and a glossary. The grammar consists of sections on phonology, morphology and syntax, preceded by an introductory chapter examining the position of this dialect in relation to the other known Neo-Aramaic dialects. The transcribed texts record folktales and accounts of customs, traditions and experiences of the Jews of Kurdistan.
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1 online resource (xx, 586 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references. :
9789004305045 :
0169-9423 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
A grammar of Egyptian Aramaic /
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This is the first up-to-date, and complete grammar of Egyptian Aramaic as presented in texts of Egyptian provenance dating from the middle of the first millennium B.C.E. and as edited by B. Porten and A. Yardeni in their Textbook of Aramaic Documents from Ancient Egypt (Jerusalem, 1986-). The grammar covers not only the phonology and morphology, but contains a substantial section on morphosyntax and syntax. It is a descriptive grammar enriched with the expert knowledge and familiarity of one of the co-authors with the contents and background of the texts in question. It is meant to replace P. Leander's Laut- und Formenlehre des Ägyptisch-Aramäischen (1928), but also supplements it substantially, because it had no syntax. Due to the utmost importance and interest of these ancient texts, this grammar is a vade mecum for every Aramaist, Semitist and Historian in the field.
This is the first up-to-date, and complete grammar of Egyptian Aramaic as presented in texts of Egyptian provenance dating from the middle of the first millennium B.C.E. and as edited by B. Porten and A. Yardeni in their Textbook of Aramaic Documents from Ancient Egypt (Jerusalem, 1986-). The grammar covers not only the phonology and morphology, but contains a substantial section on morphosyntax and syntax. It is a descriptive grammar enriched with the expert knowledge and familiarity of one of the co-authors with the contents and background of the texts in question. It is meant to replace P. Leander's Laut- und Formenlehre des Ägyptisch-Aramäischen (1928), but also supplements it substantially, because it had no syntax. Due to the utmost importance and interest of these ancient texts, this grammar is a vade mecum for every Aramaist, Semitist and Historian in the field.
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1 online resource (LII, 416 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789004294257 :
0169-9423 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
A dictionary of Samaritan Aramaic /
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Given the many excellent editions of Samaritan writings (e.g. The Pentateuch) in recent years, the need was felt for a comprehensive dictionary of Samaritan Aramaic. Abraham Tal's Dictionary of Samaritan Aramaic , the first dictionary of its kind, contains the vocabulary of the Aramaic dialect in which the Samaritans composed their texts, from the beginning of their literature in the fourth century C.E. when Aramaic was the community's vernacular, until the end of the use of Aramaic in the eleventh century, when it was replaced by Arabic. Over a period of more than fifteen years the author has exhaustively collected material form the Samaritans' translations of the Pentateuch, their liturgy, literary compositions, chronicles, et cetera, as presented in the growing corpus of scholarly editions. Comparative material from adjacent Palestinian Aramaic dialects is adduced where functional. With ample linguistic and textual notes. Particularly important for the study of Aramaic Jewish and Christian sources composed during the Roman and Byzantine periods in the Land of Israel, and an absolute must for Biblical Scholars . Entries in Samaritan-Aramaic (Hebrew block script); English translations; Hebrew translations; bibliographical abbreviations, et cetera, in English.
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1 online resource (2 volumes (xliv, 967, 40 pages)) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. xxvii-xliv) and index. :
9789004294158 :
0169-9423 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Judaism in late antiquity.
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Thirteen foremost scholars describe the views of death, life after death, resurrection, and the world-to-come set forth in the literary evidence for late antique Judaism. The volume covers the vie w of Scripture as a whole as against other Israelite writings; distinct parts of Scripture such as Psalms and the Wisdom literature; apocalyptic and the non-apocalyptic pseudepigraphic literature, Philo; Josephus; the Dead Sea Scrolls; earliest Christianity (the Gospels in particular); the Rabbinic sources; the Palestinian Targums to the Pentateuch; and, out of material culture, the inscriptional evidence. The result is both to highlight the range of available perspectives on this important issue and to illuminate a central problem in the study of Judaism in late antiquity, phrased neatly as "One Judaism or many?" Here we place on display indicative components of Judaism in their full diversity, leaving it for readers to determine whether the notion of a single, coherent religion falls under the weight of a mass of documentary contradictions or whether an inner harmony shines forth from a repertoire of largely shared and only superficially-diverse data.
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Pt. 3, volume 4 edited by Alan J. Avery-Peck and Jacob Neusner.
Pt. 5, volume 1-2 edited by Alan J. Avery-Peck, Jacob Neusner and Bruce D. Chilton. :
1 online resource (xii, 346 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789004294141 :
0169-9423 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Systematische Bibliographie der Hethitologie 1915-1995, zusammengestellt unter Einschluss der einschlägigen Rezensionen /
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The people of the Hittites (ca. 1700-1200 B.C.) have been the object of serious study for more than eighty years now. Consequently our knowledge of these Indo-European Anatolians has grown at an enourmous pace. One may therefore rigthly conclude that the flow of scholarly literature in monographs, journal articles, Festschriften et cetera has reached a point where hardly any scholar can claim an overview anymore. This systematic bibliography of Hittitology covers the scholarly production from 1915-1995. The authors have aimed at exhaustiveness for Hittitologists. As Hittitology can not be isolated from the studies of adjacent contemporary (Anatolian) peoples, also relevant important contributions on for example the Chatti, Churrites, Luwians and other cultures have been taken into account. The work is divided into nine chapters: 1. General (Reference Works, Festschrifte, Congresses, et cetera); 2. Archaeology, Anthropology, Collections; 3. Script, Epigraphy; 4. Language and Philology, Ethnic Groups; 5. Geography; 6. Social Relations; 7. History; 8. Religion; 9. Cultural History. With geographical index and an index of authors and reviewers. 'A reliable bibliography is one of the basic elements for every serious library.' The Systematische Bibliographie der Hethitologie 1915-1995 was compiled by Vladimír Sou_ek and Jana Siegelová, and originally published with cooperation of the Prague Narodni Museum. The work is distributed exclusively by Brill and has been incorporated in the series Handbook of Oriental Studies 1.
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1 online resource (3 volumes (344, 330, 448 pages)) :
Includes bibliographical references. :
9789004305038 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Geschichte des hethitischen Reiches /
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The Anatolian people of the Hittites (ca. 1700-1200 B.C.) are the subject of the underlying work. In recent decades scholars have increased our knowledge in the field enormously without bringing the new insights together in a new comprehensive handbook. This long-awaited handbook deals with the whole of the influential political history of the Hittite Empire. After an introduction on the natural conditions of Anatolia, chapters follow on the Hittite history of the early period, the old kingdom of the Hittites, the 'middle' kingdom and, extensively, the new kingdom or empire period. The book is organized chronologically, and each chapter starts with a section on the sources and secondary literature, followed by the actual text on the subsequent periods. In a separate chapter Professor Fiorella Imparati offers a survey on the political structure of the Hittite Kingdom and its foreign policy. Chronological tables, a bibliography arranged by the subsequent periods, a section on problems, and several illustrations conclude this important volume. Given the tremendous amount of material and its lucid organisation this will be one of the few reference works on the Hittites for years to come.
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1 online resource (xxvi, 428 pages, [36] pages of plates) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 394-411) and index. :
9789004294066 :
0169-9423 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The old Syriac inscriptions of Edessa and Osrhoene : texts, translations, and commentary /
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This volume contains all the known Old Syriac inscriptions from Edessa and the area around Osrhoene in Northern Mesopotamia from the first three centuries C.E., the number of which has substantially increased over the last decades. The texts are given in estrangelo script and are accompanied by an extensive philological and historical commentary. The originals are presented in photographs and line drawings. The volume also contains chapters on the script of these inscriptions, on the language and on the history and culture of Edessa. Two appendices offer the texts of three parchments written in Syriac and originating from the same area, and of known but still unpublished inscriptions. The book concludes with indices of words and proper names, which are complement to the Dictionary of the North-West Semitic Inscriptions ( Brill , 1995), and with a full bibliography.
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1 online resource (xv, 280 pages, 75 pages of plates) : illustrations, maps. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 253-263) and index. :
9789004294080 :
0169-9423 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The law of agriculture in the Mishnah and the Tosefta : translation, commentary, theology /
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This project presents in three volumes the Mishnah's and the Tosefta's first division, Zera'im (Agriculture), organized in eleven topical tractates, together with a systematic history of the law of Zeraim in the Mishnah. To the exposition of the Halakhah on the chosen topic, the Mishnah-tractates are primary but complemented by the Tosefta's presentation of its collection of glosses of the Mishnah's law and supplements to that law. The Mishnah's and the Tosefta's tractates are integrated, with the Tosefta's complement given in the setting of the Mishnah's rules, and the whole is given in English translation. The presentation in each case encompasses an introduction, a form-analytical translation and commentary, a systematic integration of the Tosefta's compositions into the Mishnah's laws, an explanation of the details of the law, and an inquiry into how the Halakhah of the Mishnah and that of the Tosefta intersect, item by item.
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1 online resource (3 volumes (2,787 pages)) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789047416371 :
0169-9423 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Ancient Jewish art and archaeology in the diaspora /
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Jewish Diaspora in Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods from first to the eighth centuries C.E. is the subject of this work. The author thoroughly investigates origin, symbolism and significance of the mainly synagogal and funerary art forms in the Diaspora. Ancient Jewish Art and Archaeology in the Diaspora is the companion volume to the successful Ancient Jewish Art and Archeaeology in the Land of Israel (1988) by the same author. The geographical area covered includes Syria, Asia Minor, North Africa and Mediterranean Europe. The first section examines the characteristic features of Diaspora Art synagogue architecture and art (including the Torah shrine and mosaic pavements). Another section deals with burial and funerary practices. Of special importance are the sections on the Biblical scenes , designs and iconography of the Dura Europos synagogue, and the Jewish symbols such as the Menorah, ritual objects, the Ark, the conch and the Torah Scrolls . The book is richly illustrated with more than 325 drawings and photographs, some in colour.
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1 online resource (xxxiii, 499 pages, [64] pages of plates) : illustrations (some color), maps. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 466-486) and index. :
9789004294042 :
0169-9423 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Arabische Dialektgeographie : eine Einführung /
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This volume is the first comprehensive and systematic description of the dialect geography of the Arabic language which investigates the methods and insights developed in the European context and how these can be applied to the domain of Arabic. It also deals briefly with the problems of the historical development of the modern Arabic dialects. With the help of 112 maps it examines topics such as types of maps, interpretation of maps, areal norms and their significance for Arabic and defining dialect borders. For the first time dialectometrical procedures are applied to Arabic dialects. It can be used as a practical introduction into Arabic dialect geography because in addition it discusses extensively methods of designing dialect geography maps a investigational techniques in the field.
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1 online resource (xviii, 269 pages) : illustrations (chiefly color), maps (chiefly color) :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 219-237) and indexes. :
9789047406495 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The Mishnah : religious perspectives /
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Condensing research concerning questions of religion which encompass the social history of ideas and the religious uses of language, this book deals with three questions: the relationship of the Mishnah to Scripture, the relationship of the religious ideas people hold to the world in which they live, and the religious meaning of the formalization of language that characterizes the Mishnah in particular. In discussing how the Mishnah relates to Scripture - in the (later) mythic language of Rabbinic Judaism: \'the oral Torah\' to \'the written Torah\' - a complete analysis is presented, based on a systematic application of a single taxonomic program. Then an examination is made of how the stages in the unfolding of the Halakhah of the Mishnah relate to the principal events of the times, which delineate those stages. Here focus is given to those pre-70 C.E. components of the Halakhah that later come to the surface in the Mishnah, but discussion extends to the periods from the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E. to the Bar Kokhba War, concluded in circa 135 C.E., then from the reconstruction, 135 C.E., to the closure of the Mishnah, 200 C.E. Finally attention is given to methods of interpreting the rhetorical forms of the Mishnah in the context of the social culture laid bare by the socio-linguistics of the documents concerned. This publication has also been published in paperback, please click here for details.
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" ... this book completes the condensation and recapitulation of large-scale research of mine"--Preface. :
1 online resource (xii, 249 pages) :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004294110 :
0169-9423 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Ancient Egyptian chronology /
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This volume deals with the chronology of Ancient Egypt from the fourth millennium until the Hellenistic Period. An initial section reviews the foundations of Egyptian chronology, both ancient and modern, from annals and kinglists to C14 analyses of archaeological data. Specialists discuss sources, compile lists of known dates, and analyze biographical information in the section devoted to relative chronology. The editors are responsible for the final section which attempts a synthesis of the entire range of available data to arrive at alternative absolute chronologies. The prospective readership includes specialists in Near Eastern and Aegean studies as well as Egyptologists.
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1 online resource (ix, 517 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 504-508) and index. :
9789047404002 :
0169-9423 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Judaism in late antiquity.
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These two volumes introduce the sources of Judaism in late antiquity to scholars in adjacent fields, such as the study of the Old and New Testaments, ancient history of Classical Antiquity, earliest Christianity, the ancient Near East, and the history of religion. Here, in two volumes, leading American, Israeli, and European specialists in the history, literature, theology, and archaeology of Judaism offer factual answers to the two questions that the study of any religion in ancient times must raise. The first is, what are the sources - written and in material culture - that inform us about that religion? The second is, how do we understand those sources in the reconstruction of the history of various Judaic systems in antiquity. The chapters set forth in simple statements, intelligible for non-specialists, the facts the sources provide. Because of the nature of the subject and acute interest in it, we also raise some questions particular to the study of Judaism, those dealing with its historical relationship with nascent Christianity in New Testament times. The work forms the starting point for the study of all the principal questions concerning Judaism in late antiquity and sets forth the most current, critical results of scholarship.
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Pt. 3, volume 4 edited by Alan J. Avery-Peck and Jacob Neusner.
Pt. 5, volume 1-2 edited by Alan J. Avery-Peck, Jacob Neusner and Bruce D. Chilton. :
1 online resource (xiv, 318 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789004293960 :
0169-9423 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.