Explore the lengthy history of legal metaphors in ancient prayer In biblical and other ancient Near Eastern sources, prayer is an opportunity to make one’s case before divine judges. Prayers were formulated using courtroom or trial language, including demands for judgment, confessions, and accusations. The presence of these legal concepts reveals ancient Near Eastern thoughts about what takes place when one prays. Holtz highlights legal concepts that appear in prayers, including the motif of the speakers' oppression in Psalms the possibility of countersuit against God through prayer, and divine attention and inattention as legal responses. By reading ancient prayers together with legal texts, this book shows how speakers took advantage of prayer as an opportunity to have their day in the divine court and even sue against divine injustice. Features Identification of legal vocabulary and concepts that appear in ancient prayers Analysis of legal metaphors in prayer examples in Akkadian and postbiblical rabbinic texts Interpretations of trial records and texts from Psalms and Lamentations
New translations of fifty transliterated texts for research and classroom use This collection of sixth-century B.C.E. Mesopotamian texts provides a close-up, often dramatic, view of ancient courtroom encounters shedding light on Neo-Babylonian legal culture and daily life. In addition to the legal texts, Holtz provides an introduction to Neo-Babylonian social history, archival records, and legal materials. This is an essential resource for scholars interested in the history of law. Features Fifty new English translations Transliterations for use in advanced Akkadian courses Background essays perfect for courses dealing with ancient Near Eastern history and law Explanatory essays preceding each text and its translation
Even though scholars have known of Neo-Babylonian legal texts almost since Assyriology's very beginnings, no comprehensive study of court procedure has been undertaken. This lack is particularly glaring in light of studies of court procedure in earlier periods of Mesopotamian history. With these studies as a model, this book begins by presenting a comprehensive classification of the text-types that made up the "tablet trail" of records of the adjudication of legal disputes in the Neo-Babylonian period. In presenting this text-typology, it considers the texts' legal function within the adjudicatory process. Based on this, the book describes the adjudicatory process as it is attested in private records as well as in records from the Eanna at Uruk.
New translations of fifty transliterated texts for research and classroom use This collection of sixth-century B.C.E. Mesopotamian texts provides a close-up, often dramatic, view of ancient courtroom encounters shedding light on Neo-Babylonian legal culture and daily life. In addition to the legal texts, Holtz provides an introduction to Neo-Babylonian social history, archival records, and legal materials. This is an essential resource for scholars interested in the history of law. Features Fifty new English translations Transliterations for use in advanced Akkadian courses Background essays perfect for courses dealing with ancient Near Eastern history and law Explanatory essays preceding each text and its translation
Explore the lengthy history of legal metaphors in ancient prayer In biblical and other ancient Near Eastern sources, prayer is an opportunity to make one’s case before divine judges. Prayers were formulated using courtroom or trial language, including demands for judgment, confessions, and accusations. The presence of these legal concepts reveals ancient Near Eastern thoughts about what takes place when one prays. Holtz highlights legal concepts that appear in prayers, including the motif of the speakers' oppression in Psalms the possibility of countersuit against God through prayer, and divine attention and inattention as legal responses. By reading ancient prayers together with legal texts, this book shows how speakers took advantage of prayer as an opportunity to have their day in the divine court and even sue against divine injustice. Features Identification of legal vocabulary and concepts that appear in ancient prayers Analysis of legal metaphors in prayer examples in Akkadian and postbiblical rabbinic texts Interpretations of trial records and texts from Psalms and Lamentations
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