When the King Crosses the Line: Royal Deviance and Restitution in Levantine Ideologies
Plagues and famines were recurring problems for people of the ancient Levant (eastern Mediterranean); and since these phenomena were perceived to be the actions of the gods, they required interpretation by authorized prophets and diviners. The seven passages discussed here all articulate a common be...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Sage
1996
|
| In: |
Biblical theology bulletin
Year: 1996, Volume: 26, Issue: 1, Pages: 11-25 |
| Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
|
| Summary: | Plagues and famines were recurring problems for people of the ancient Levant (eastern Mediterranean); and since these phenomena were perceived to be the actions of the gods, they required interpretation by authorized prophets and diviners. The seven passages discussed here all articulate a common behavioral pattern (with a king identified as the culpable deviant) and character-set with regard to these catastrophes. The motifs manifested are: breach of the sacred, divine punishment in the form of plague or famine, prophetic interpretation, restitution, and blood-sacrifice. The character-set is: the deity, the king/s, the prophet/s, and the suffering population. These Israelite, Hittite, and Greek narratives, while in the form of stories, prayer, and play, I identify as "Royal Deviance Narratives" (1 Sam 5:1-7:1; 2 Sam 21:1-14; 2 Sam 24:1-25; 1 Kgs 16:29-18:45; KUB xiv, 8; Iliad 1.1-475; and Oedipus Tyrannus), and I analyze them in terms of their motifs and their cultural scripts. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1945-7596 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Biblical theology bulletin
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/014610799602600103 |