The Decline of the Shepherd Metaphor as Royal Self-Expression1

In the Old Testament, shepherd is a common metaphor of kingship, and this metaphor is sometimes also used to denote the Israelite god as a ruler (See for instance HALOT entry הער ). In Assyrian, Babylonian, Egyptian and Greek works this metaphor is remarkably more common in pre-exilic literature tha...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Varhaug, Jørn (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Taylor & Francis [2019]
In: Scandinavian journal of the Old Testament
Year: 2019, Volume: 33, Issue: 1, Pages: 16-23
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Bible. Psalmen 23 / Shepherd god / Shepherd / ḥsr
IxTheo Classification:HB Old Testament
TC Pre-Christian history ; Ancient Near East
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Summary:In the Old Testament, shepherd is a common metaphor of kingship, and this metaphor is sometimes also used to denote the Israelite god as a ruler (See for instance HALOT entry הער ). In Assyrian, Babylonian, Egyptian and Greek works this metaphor is remarkably more common in pre-exilic literature than in the later Greek and Roman literature, where it is almost absent. In this article I argue that shepherding was central to Assyrian and Babylonian ruling class identity, while absent as royal self-expression in the Persian, Achaemenid Empire. The imageries of these empires were influential as models for court life throughout the Ancient Near East, and beyond.
ISSN:1502-7244
Contains:Enthalten in: Scandinavian journal of the Old Testament
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/09018328.2019.1599623