"A Kid in Milk"? New Photographs of KTU 1.23, Line 14
This study reexamines one of the most prominent alleged "parallels" between the Bible and Ugaritic literature. In line 14 of the Ugaritic text, commonly referred to as the "Birth of the Gracious and Beautiful Gods", many scholars have long read the text: "Cook a kid in milk,...
| Published in: | Hebrew Union College annual / Jewish Institute of Religion |
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| Authors: | ; |
| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
College
1986
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| In: |
Hebrew Union College annual / Jewish Institute of Religion
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Ugarit
/ Cuneiform text
/ Spring
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| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament |
| Further subjects: | B
Bible. Exodus 23,19
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| Summary: | This study reexamines one of the most prominent alleged "parallels" between the Bible and Ugaritic literature. In line 14 of the Ugaritic text, commonly referred to as the "Birth of the Gracious and Beautiful Gods", many scholars have long read the text: "Cook a kid in milk, a lamb in butter." This reading suggests an obvious connection to the biblical prohibition: "You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk" (Ex. 23:19b, 34:26; Deut. 14:21). That is, the Ugaritic text appears to describe a Canaanite ritual that the Israelites condemned because of its pagan origin. This presumed Canaanite/biblical connection is now often cited in the secondary literature, e.g., in Bible dictionary articles and biblical commentaries. Nonetheless, the crucial passage in the Ugaritic text is in a damaged area of the cuneiform tablet; moreover, the proposed reading requires some restoration. Primarily because of the difficulty of the reading, the "kid in milk" interpretation has been hotly disputed by scholars, and alternative interpretations have been proposed that deny any connection with the biblical prohibition. The present study endeavors to settle once and for all the epigraphic issues so crucial for interpreting the Ugaritic passage. With the aid of new, detailed photographs of line 14, a comprehensive epigraphic analysis is carried out and the reading of the text is finally established. This reading is then subjected to a philological examination, and several new suggestions are made about the meaning of the Ugaritic text. Finally, the proposed comparison with the biblical injunction is evaluated and the authors suggest methodological guidelines for drawing analogical comparisons between the Bible and Ugaritic literature. |
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| ISSN: | 0360-9049 |
| Contains: | In: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Hebrew Union College annual / Jewish Institute of Religion
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