A people tall and smooth-skinned : the rhetoric of Isaiah 18 /
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This volume delivers an analysis of the persuasive artistry of Isaiah 18, id est how Isa 18 is designed in order to persuade an ancient audience. The analysis is pursued from four angles: the textual design, the motifs, the rhetoric of the text and finally, it is shown how the various strophes within each stanza of Isa 18 relate to one another. The present analysis demonstrates that Isa 18 is an example of Hebrew rhetoric, and that the text can be read as a coherent whole - even though the majority of scholars analysing Isa 18 have found this chapter confusing. In this volume, it is argued that Isa 18 is shaped in a confusing way in order to make the audience believe that someone else is judged (the Cushites, 18:1-2.7), and not themselves. This volume sheds new light on the understanding of and old text, and the volume is important for exegetes interested in the persuasive artistry of Isa 18.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [239]-256 ) and index. :
9789047411222 :
0083-5889 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Society and politics in an Ottoman town : 'Ayntāb in the 17th century /
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This book deals with a provincial town attending to its day-to-day business against the backdrop of an exacting war fought far afield against the Habsburgs (1683-99). The dynamics of long-term economic growth were temporarily disturbed by the wartime economy while realignment in center-periphery relations affected the local power structure and practices of status management. Meanwhile, the local elite continued to dominate public life, hence the lives of commoners. This study opens a window onto this world through a close examination of the court records of the town.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [193]-207) and index. :
9789047411321 :
1380-6076 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The Ẓāhirīs : their doctrine and their history : a contribution to the history of Islamic theology /
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Ignaz Goldziher wrote his book 'Die Zahiriten' in 1883. The English translation of this standard work on Islamic jurisprudence appeared in 1971. The book has been in print ever since. This new edition in the Brill Classics in Islam series shows that The Ẓāhirīs has not lost any of its actuality. The individual that adheres to the principles of madhhab al-Ẓāhir, the Islamic legal school, is called Ẓāhirī. Goldziher gives an extensive presentation of the Ẓāhirīte school, its doctrine and the position of its representatives within orthodox Islam. Ẓāhirism accepts only the facts clearly revealed by sensible, rational and linguistic intuitions, controlled and corroborated by Qurʾānic revelation. This history of Islamic theology sheds light on the Ẓāhirīte legal interpretation vis-à-vis other legal schools and gives an interesting insight in questions like 'are all prescriptions and prohibitions in Islamic law commanded or forbidden?'
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [212]-216) and index. :
9789047423881 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The grammar of perspective : the Sumerian conjugation prefixes as a system of voice /
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The so-called Sumerian conjugation prefixes are the most poorly understood and perplexing elements of Sumerian verbal morphology. Approaching the problem from a functional-typological perspective and basing the analysis upon semantics, Professor Woods argues that these elements, in their primary function, constitute a system of grammatical voice, in which the active voice is set against the middle voice. The latter is represented by heavy and light markers that differ with respect to focus and emphasis. As a system of grammatical voice, the conjugation prefixes provided Sumerian speakers with a linguistic means of altering the perspective from which events may be viewed, giving speakers a series of options for better approximating in language the infinitely graded spectrum of human conceptualization and experience. "Woods is to be commended for establishing a new precedent for analyzing Sumerian grammar which will hopefully become a model for future studies of the language." Paul Delnero, Johns Hopkins University
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Partly based on the author's dissertation (doctoral--Harvard University). :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [313]-330) and indexes. :
9789047442080 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Continuity and innovation in the Aramaic legal tradition /
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Ever since the Elephantine papyri were first published over a century ago, scholars have speculated on the origins of the well-developed legal formularies used in these documents. Since then, many more Aramaic deeds of conveyance both from Elephantine and from elsewhere have been published, especially within the last decade or so. With this expanded text base now available, the time is ripe for a comprehensive re-assessment of these legal formularies. This book endeavors to show that these disparate Aramaic documents, whose chronological scope spans several centuries, form a discrete and coherent tradition. It isolates and identifies the distinctive elements that form the core of this tradition and traces the histories of these elements back through the cuneiform record.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [204]-226) and index. :
9789047442226 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The Jewish Neo-Aramaic dialect of Challa /
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Aramaic has been spoken uninterruptedly for more than 3000 years, yet a generation from now most Aramaic dialects will be extinct. The study of the Northeastern Neo-Aramaic (NENA) dialects has increased dramatically in the past decade as linguists seek to record these dialects before the disappearance of their last speakers. This work is a unique documentation of the now extinct Jewish Neo-Aramaic dialect of Challa (modern-day Çukurca, Turkey). It is based on recordings of the last native speaker of the dialect, who passed away in 2007. In addition to a grammatical description, it contains sample texts and a glossary of the dialect. Jewish Challa belongs to the cluster of NENA dialects known as 'lishana deni' and reference is made throughout to other dialects within this group.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [307]-314). :
9789047430261 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Metaphysics /
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This book has been written from the conviction that general statements about the philosophical position taken by Theophrastus in this small but extremely difficult treatise, can only be made on the basis of a detailed interpretation of each and every sentence of the text. This resulted in a full commentary, which evades no philological or philosophical question that should be asked in order to elicit from the text a maximum of information. The outcome is a cautious but nonetheless explicit and determinate characterization and evaluation of Theophrastean metaphysics as a biologist's metaphysics, which deserves the attention of philosophers in its own right. The author has paid special attention to questions of Peripatetic idiom and terminology, thus increasing the value of this book to students of Peripatetic thought in general. The information brought together has been made easily accessible by full indexes.
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1 online resource (xvi, 676 pages) : illustrations. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. 588-597) and indexes. :
9789004329218 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Early Greek poets' lives : the shaping of the tradition /
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This book examines the formation and development of the biographical traditions about early Greek poets, focusing on the traditions of Hesiod, Stesichorus, Archilochus, Hipponax, Terpander and Sappho. The study provides a detailed overview of the traditions and chronographical material about these poets and seeks to clarify who were the creators of the particular traditions; what were the sources; when the traditions were formed; and to what extent they are shaped by formulaic themes and story-patterns. It challenges several mainstream assumptions on the subject, for example, that the traditions were formed mainly in the Post-Classical period; that the only significant source for the legends is the works of the particular poet; and that the poets were perceived as "new heroes."
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789004193284 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The noun phrase in ancient Greek : a functional analysis of the order and articulation of NP constituents in Herodotus /
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The structure of the noun phrase in Ancient Greek is extremely flexible: the various constituents may occur in almost every possible order and each constituent may or may not be preceded by an article. However, the use and function of the various options have received very little attention. This book tries to fill that gap. A functional analysis of the structure of the NP in Herodotus illucidateswhich arguments lead a native speaker in his choice to select one of the various possible NP patterns. The results do not only increase our knowledge of the NP, but also lead to a better interpretation of Ancient Greek texts.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789047430667 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Exegesis in the makin g postcolonialism and New Testament studies /
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The last thirty years have witnessed increasing diversity in methodology and perspectives within biblical studies. One of the most dynamic and continually expanding contributions to this development is that of postcolonial studies, known for its fresh approaches as well as for its complex theoretical foundations. The present book aims at introducing both student and scholar to this emerging field. Part One discusses in a structured and pedagogical way the theoretical location of postcolonial biblical studies as well as its critique of and contributions to New Testament exegesis more specifically. Part Two presents five articles by scholars from Africa, Asia, and North America, illustrating the diversity of current postcolonial studies as applied to individual New Testament texts.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [235]-248) and index. :
9789004190344 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Res publica constituta : Actium, Apollo, and the accomplishment of the triumviral assignment /
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The years surrounding the decisive battle of Actium in 31 BC, and the various measures undertaken by the victor Augustus to create and legitimate a new system of government in Rome are among the most discussed aspects of Roman history. This book re-evaluates Augustus' rise to power, first as triumvir along with Antonius and Lepidus, and then as sole ruler, focusing particularly on the part played by propaganda and ideological claims. Augustus is shown to have acknowledged the Actium war as a civil as well as an external war, and the commemorations of the battle at the site and in Rome are re-assessed, along with the role ascribed to Apollo in the victory. The celebrated settlement of 28-27 BC is shown to have constituted the accomplishment of the triumviral assignment.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [203]-219) and index. :
9789047428466 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Ritual purity and the Dead Sea scrolls /
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This book represents the first comprehensive study on the concept of ritual purity in the Dead Sea Scrolls since the full publication of the legal material from Qumran. Utilizing an independent approach to the relevant documents from Qumran, this study discusses the primary and secondary literature on the five major categories of impurity in the scrolls (i.e., diseases, clean/unclean animals, corpses, bodily discharges, and sexual misdeeds). This examination is supported by a comparison between the scrolls' purity legislations and their biblical counterparts. The book culminates with a comparison between the purity rulings in the scrolls and a diachronic reading of the explicit agreements and disagreements found therein. The result is a far more comprehensive and nuanced interpretation than has been previously offered.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [311]-326) and indexes. :
9789047423010 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The city besieged : siege and its manifestations in the ancient Near East /
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Exploring the military, legal, social and literary aspects of ancient warfare, this study examines the multifaceted nature of the siege phenomenon in the Ancient Near East. The book is based on Akkadian and biblical (and, to lesser degree, Greek, Aramaic, Egyptian, Hittite and Ugaritic) sources as well as on the depictions on reliefs from Assyrian palaces and Egyptian temples. The analysis incorporates lexical study and military thinking and focuses on the technology of warfare and human behavior in a state of emergency. This volume is a co-publication between Brill and The Hebrew University Magnes Press. \'...this book serves as an excellent overview of siege practices and their result as seen from the biblical and Mesopotamian perspective.\' Michael G. Hasel, Institute of Archaeology-Southern Adventist University
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Two printings were published in 2009; one had only the first 113 pages and was probably an error, and the other had 211 pages, with two additional chapters (4 and 5) which match the tables of contents (p. [x-xi) and bibliography and indexes. :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. :
9789047427568 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Intertextuality in the tales of Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav : a close reading of Sippurey Maʼasiyot /
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Until 1806, Rabbi Nahman of Bratslav (1772-1810) disseminated his thoughts on redemption through homilies. In 1806, however, Nahman chose the genre of tales as an additional and innovative means of religious discourse. An academic close reading of all of the tales, known as Sippurey Ma'asiyot , has not yet been undertaken. As the first comprehensive scholarly work on the whole selection of tales and contrary to previous scholarship, this book does not reduce the tales to biographical expressions of Nahman's tormented soul and messianic aspirations. Instead, it treats them as religious literature where the concept of "intertextuality" is considered essential to explain how Nahman defines his theology of redemption and invites his listeners and readers to appropriate his religious world-view.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [637]-642) and index. :
9789047420170 :
0169-8834 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The formation of the Sudanese Mahdist state ceremony and symbols of authority : 1882-1898 /
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This book is the first analysis of the Sudanese Mahdiyya from a socio-political perspective that treats how relationships of authority were enunciated through symbol and ceremony. The book focuses on how the Mahdi and his second-in-command and ultimate successor, the Khalifa Abdallahi, used symbols, ceremony and ritual to articulate their power, authority and legitimacy first within the context of resistance to the imperial Turco-Egyptian forces that had been occupying the Nilotic Sudan since 1821, and then within the context of establishing an Islamic state. This study examines five key elements from a historical perspective: the importance of Islamic mysticism as manifested in Sufi brotherhoods in the articulation of power in the Sudan; ceremony as handmaids of power and legitimacy; charismatic leadership; the routinization of charisma and the formation of a religious state purportedly based upon the first Islamic community in the seventh century C.E.
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This book is the first analysis of the Sudanese Mahdiyya from a socio-political perspective that treats how relationships of authority were enunciated through symbol and ceremony. The book focuses on how the Mahdi and his second-in-command and ultimate successor, the Khalifa Abdallahi, used symbols, ceremony and ritual to articulate their power, authority and legitimacy first within the context of resistance to the imperial Turco-Egyptian forces that had been occupying the Nilotic Sudan since 1821, and then within the context of establishing an Islamic state. This study examines five key elements from a historical perspective: the importance of Islamic mysticism as manifested in Sufi brotherhoods in the articulation of power in the Sudan; ceremony as handmaids of power and legitimacy; charismatic leadership; the routinization of charisma and the formation of a religious state purportedly based upon the first Islamic community in the seventh century C.E. :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [153]-155) and index. :
9789004191075 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Money in the late Roman Republic /
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Roman monetary history has tended to focus on the study of Roman coinage but other assets regularly functioned as, or in place of, money. This book places coinage in its broader monetary context by also examining the role of bullion, financial instruments, and commodities such as grain and wine in making payments, facilitating exchange, measuring value and storing wealth. The use of such assets reduced the demand for coinage in some sectors of the economy and is a crucial factor in determining the impact of the large increase in the coin supply during the last century of the Republic. Money demand theory suggests that increased coin production led to further monetization, not per capita economic growth.
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Based on the author's Ph.D. thesis, Roman money in the late Republic, presented to Columbia University in 2002. :
1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [157]-175) and indexes. :
9789047419129 :
0166-1302 ; :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Sight and blindness in Luke-Acts : the use of physical features in characterization /
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The ancient world often thought in terms of physiognomics-the idea that character can be discerned by studying outward, physical features. That physical descriptions carry moral freight in characterization has been largely missed in modern biblical scholarship, and this study brings that to the forefront. Specifically, this is a study of one particular physical marker-blindness. When we look at Greco-Roman literature, a kind of literary topos begins to emerge, a set of assumptions that ancient audiences would typically make when encountering blind characters. Luke-Acts makes use of such a topos in a way that becomes programmatic, serving as a kind of interpretive key to Luke-Acts that is generally unnoticed in modern scholarship.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references and index. :
9789047432968 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
The first hall of fame : a study of the statues in the Forum Augustum /
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Although both national sites of commemoration and Halls of Fame for a variety of human endeavours are widespread, little thought was given to the fact that the statues in the Forum Augustum were the first assemblage of this kind. This book identifies the Greek and Roman backgrounds to and influences on Augustus' decision as well as his probable motives for setting up these statues. The central chapters deal with the structure of the Forum and its statues, and provide a detailed analysis of the list of men (and women) known to have been included and the criteria for inclusion. Finally the additions to the heroes between Augustus and Trajan and the later impact of this Gallery of Heroes are discussed.
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1 online resource. :
Includes bibliographical references (p. [205]-217) and index. :
9789047443438 :
Available to subscribing member institutions only.