Among the Host of Heaven
The Syro-Palestinian Pantheon as Bureaucracy
Lowell K. Handy
This volume provides new directions for thinking about the structure, organization, and “function” of the gods of the Levantine and ancient Near Eastern worlds, arguing that the structure of the pantheon worshiped in Syria-Palestine mirrored the social structure of the city-states of that region.
- Description
- Table of Contents
Preface
Abbreviations
1. Introduction
Rethinking the Structure of the Pantheon
The Tenuousness of Theories
Bureaucracy in the Ancient Near East
Ancient Gods and Modern Studies
2. Tablets and Texts
The Ugaritic Texts
Narrative Texts
Ritual Texts
Syro-Palestinian Inscriptions
The ‘Elkunirsha Myth’
The Bible
The History of the Phoenicians by Philo of Byblos
De Dea Syria
Minor Sources
Art
Syro-Palestinian Gods Abroad
The Greek Adonis Myth
Excavations at Ebla
Polemic
3. Authoritative Deities
The Office
The Gods
El
Asherah
El and Asherah: The Titles of Highest Authority
The ‘Owners’
Parents
El and Asherah: Acting as Highest Authority
Wisdom
Order
Malfunctioning
4. Active Deities
The Office
The Gods
Baal
Anat
Mot
Shemesh/Shapshu
Little-Known Deities
The Gods in Office
The Problem of mlk
Spheres of Authority
The Enigmatic Assembly
Malfunctioning
5. Artisan Deities
The Office
The Gods
Kothar-wa-Hasis
The ‘Technogony’ of Philo of Byblos
Marginal Deities
The Gods in Office
Malfunctioning
6. Messenger Deities
The Office
The Gods
Labor-Gods?
Seraphim
The Gods in Service
The Divinity of the Gods
The Work of the Messenger Deities
Malfunctioning
7. Summary
Cosmic Hierarchy
A Reflection of the Authors
Summary
Bibliography
Indexes
Index of Deity Names
Index of Authors
Index of Scripture References
Index of Ancient Sources
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