Gods in the Desert: Religions of the Ancient Near EastGods in the Desert explores the fascinating religious cultures of the ancient Near East. From the mysterious pyramids, tombs, and temples of Egypt to the powerful heroes, gods, and legends of Mesopotamia, Glenn Holland guides readers through the early religions that are the root of many of today's major faiths. Holland compares the religions of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Syria-Palestine, including Israel and Judah, from the Neolithic era through the conquest of Alexander the Great. He provides a historical survey of each region, then discusses the gods, the rulers, the afterlife, and the worship rituals. This accessible overview makes clear how these religions converged and diverged, and are intimately connected to many of the religions we recognize today, sometimes in surprising ways. |
Contents
| 3 | |
| 15 | |
The King and Royal Power | 37 |
The World of the Dead | 57 |
The Human World | 77 |
S E C T I O N T W O MESOPOTAMIA | 97 |
Historical Survey | 99 |
The Gods and the World They Made | 111 |
S E C T I O N T H R E E SYRIAPALESTINE | 189 |
Historical Survey | 191 |
The Gods and the World They Made | 199 |
Kings and Prophets | 219 |
Suffering and Death | 239 |
The Human World | 257 |
Change and Continuity in the Hellenistic Age | 277 |
| 285 | |
Other editions - View all
Gods in the Desert: Religions of the Ancient Near East Glenn Stanfield Holland No preview available - 2010 |
Common terms and phrases
afterlife Akhenaten Akkadian Amun ancient Near East appears Apsu associated Assyria authority Baal Babylon Babylonian believed blessings body burial century BCE common consort cosmos covenantal created creation stories cultic statue dead death deceased deity depicted divine power Dumuzi Dynasty earth Egyptian Elohim Enki Enkidu Enlil ensure Enuma elish Epic Ereshkigal eternal evil fertility festival Gilgamesh god’s goddess gods Hathor heaven Hebrew Bible hero Horus human Humbaba idea identified Inanna Isaiah Ishtar Isis Israel Israel and Judah Israelite Jerusalem king king’s kingdom kingship later living Lower Egypt magic Marduk Mesopotamia Nergal offerings Osiris Osiris’s people’s Persian person political priests primary prophecies prophets realm reflect reign relationship religion religious culture represented ritual worship role royal rule sacred Samuel served Seth sexual Sinuhe sort Sumerian surviving Syria Syria–Palestine temple territory texts tomb tradition Underworld Uruk Ut-napishtim wisdom Yahweh