Although Fourth Ezra and Second Baruch roughly date to the same era (late 1st to mid-2nd century) and respond to the same catastrophe (destruction of the Second Temple), use the same narrative device of pseudepigraphy and narrative foil... more
Although Fourth Ezra and Second Baruch roughly date to the same era (late 1st to mid-2nd century) and respond to the same catastrophe (destruction of the Second Temple), use the same narrative device of pseudepigraphy and narrative foil (destruction of the First Temple), it has been noted that their theologies and theodicies are markedly different. In addition, the narrative point of view also differs, informed as it is by the chosen narrator personae. Baruch is actually located in Jerusalem and near the Temple Mount in the wake of its destruction, whereas Ezra – by his own account – is removed in time (30 years after the destruction) and space (located in Babylonia). He is thus looking back and looking in.
This paper asks to what degree these different perspectives influence their portrayal of the city of Jerusalem.
It has now been published in: Interpreting 4 Ezra and 2 Baruch. Jason Zurawski, ed. (proceedings volume of the 6th Enoch Seminar, held in Milan (Italy), 26-30 June 2011). London/New York: T&T Clark, 2014: 138-152
The Luwian ritual texts known as the Songs of Istanuwa and the Songs of the Men of Lallupiya are shown to be at once the earliest textual references to the cult of Cybele and also the Anatolian instantiation of the ancient Near Eastern... more
The Luwian ritual texts known as the Songs of Istanuwa and the Songs of the Men of Lallupiya are shown to be at once the earliest textual references to the cult of Cybele and also the Anatolian instantiation of the ancient Near Eastern genre of the city lament. The Bronze Age antiquity of the institution of the transgender lamentation priest in Anatolia—the antecedent of the Greek gallos and Roman gallus and the counterpart of the Mesopotamian GALA—is also demonstrated.
This study investigates why the Tammuz ritual in Ezekiel is similar to the Sumerian city laments for Dumuzi. In contrast to those who interpret women’s wailing for Tammuz as their supplication for fertility of the land, the Tammuz ritual... more
This study investigates why the Tammuz ritual in Ezekiel is similar to the Sumerian city laments for Dumuzi. In contrast to those who interpret women’s wailing for Tammuz as their supplication for fertility of the land, the Tammuz ritual reflects a longing for the return of YHWH after the fall of Jerusalem. The Sumerian gala priests recited their city laments for the imprisoned king Dumuzi. They wished Dumuzi’s return for the recovery of their city. The Israelite women introduced the Sumerian city laments in response to YHWH’s disappearance, hoping for the recovery of his city, Jerusalem.
Review article of Nili Samet's "The Lamentation over the Destruction of Ur." Mesopotamian Civilizations 18. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2014. With an edition of the overlooked bilingual fragment BM 67111. To be read together with U. Gabbay... more
Review article of Nili Samet's "The Lamentation over the Destruction of Ur." Mesopotamian Civilizations 18. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2014. With an edition of the overlooked bilingual fragment BM 67111. To be read together with U. Gabbay and L. Vacín, The bilingual Ur Lament tablet BM 67111: Corrections, additions, collations, Nouvelles assyriologiques brèves et utilitaires 1/2018, no. 35: pp. 58-59.
Laments are in many cultures associated with women and motherhood. The biblical Book of Lamentations is analyzed to highlight the gestures and mimicry of lament performance expressed in the text. Midrashic texts related to Laments are... more
Laments are in many cultures associated with women and motherhood. The biblical Book of Lamentations is analyzed to highlight the gestures and mimicry of lament performance expressed in the text. Midrashic texts related to Laments are also discussed.
In this paper we present for the first time an intriguing Akkadian lament of the mother goddess over her destroyed temples. Remarkably, the lament, almost complete, is known from two exemplars: BM 29624 (ms. A) and BM 109164 (ms. B).... more
In this paper we present for the first time an intriguing Akkadian lament of the mother goddess over her destroyed temples. Remarkably, the lament, almost complete, is known from two exemplars: BM 29624 (ms. A) and BM 109164 (ms. B). Judging by their grammar, orthography, and sign-forms, both tablets date to the early Old Babylonian period. Ms. A preserves a colophon, which identifies the lament as amerakūtum. We propose the historical framework for this unique literary piece, discuss it against the background of other Old Babylonian laments and analyze the musical and architectural components of the temple that are described in the lament.
The purpose of this note is to scrutinize the Sumerian phrase "izi-ĝi₆-eden-na" attested in kirugu 5 of the Lamentation of Ur (henceforth LU) and kiguru 1 of the Lamentation over the Destruction of Sumer and Ur (henceforth LSU). The... more
The purpose of this note is to scrutinize the Sumerian phrase "izi-ĝi₆-eden-na" attested in kirugu 5 of the Lamentation of Ur (henceforth LU) and kiguru 1 of the Lamentation over the Destruction of Sumer and Ur (henceforth LSU). The examples from LU and LSU explicitly refer to a destructive fire that burnt the whole city of Ur. But a question arises that what was the cause of fire? My argument is that the word "storm" in the Sumerian lamentation texts hardly refers to a natural phenomenon, but may well be a metaphor for foreign invaders. So I argue that the texts LU and LSU allude to a fire set by the Elamite invaders, though no archaeological evidence may prove such a massive fire in Ur during the Elamite invasion in the first place.
