The Conflict Myth and the Biblical Tradition
The Conflict Myth and the Biblical Tradition
Assistant Professor of Religion
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Abstract
The divine warrior defeats the sea-god or sea-dragon to secure his throne. For over two thousand years, authors adapted this theme of divine combat in order to validate their preferred ideologies and socio-political arrangements, and to delegitimize others. The conflict topos was adapted within literature from Mesopotamia, ancient Syria, and Judah; in the first- and early second-century ce Judean milieu, including traditions focused on Jesus/Christos; and in select rabbinic texts. A king, such as the biblical king David or Assyrian king Sennacherib, dynasty, group, or institution identified with the victorious deity is legitimated through such association, while those aligned with the defeated sea or dragons are delegitimized and appear destined for defeat. This book situates study of the conflict topos within contemporary theorization of myth by Bruce Lincoln, Russell McCutcheon, and Jonathan Z. Smith, who emphasize the political functions of myth. Narratives of divine combat and instances of the conflict motif naturalize socially and politically contingent phenomena, such as the institutions of kingship and temple, specific divine hierarchies, and the authority of particular individuals, by linking them to narrative events that purport to be universal and foundational.
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Front Matter
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I
Theorizing Myth in Ancient West Asian Studies
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II
The Conflict Topos in Extant Narratives
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III
The Conflict Motif
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IV
Continued Adaptation: The Conflict Motif and the Eschaton
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V
The Motif of Yahweh’s Authority over the Sea and the Legitimacy of Individuals: Claiming versus Having Power over the Sea
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VI
Conclusion
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End Matter
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