Banned and Branded: The Mesopotamian Background of Šamata
The verb √šmt and noun šamata, attested in the dialects of Eastern Aramaic in the Sasanian period, would seem at first to be synonymous with the Palestinian term nidui, ‘excommunication’. However, a closer examination reveals that šamata has a different semantic value. It is not simply conceived as...
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| Medienart: | Elektronisch Aufsatz |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Veröffentlicht: |
Brill
2021
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| In: |
Aramaic studies
Jahr: 2021, Band: 19, Heft: 2, Seiten: 177-197 |
| normierte Schlagwort(-folgen): | B
Aramäisch
/ Syrisch
/ Shamata
/ Exkommunikation
/ Bann
/ Fluch
/ Gewalt
/ Gott
/ Akkadisch
/ Tempel
/ Hingabe
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| IxTheo Notationen: | CA Christentum HA Bibel |
| weitere Schlagwörter: | B
Babylonian Talmud
B incantation bowls B Mesopotamia B oblates B Excommunication B Eastern Aramaic B Branding |
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| Zusammenfassung: | The verb √šmt and noun šamata, attested in the dialects of Eastern Aramaic in the Sasanian period, would seem at first to be synonymous with the Palestinian term nidui, ‘excommunication’. However, a closer examination reveals that šamata has a different semantic value. It is not simply conceived as a social sanction of excommunication but is understood as a curse involving divine violence; is closely associated with binding; and is often perceived as the property of powerful agents. In this article I argue that √šmt is derived from the Akkadian šamātu, ‘to mark’, ‘to brand’, especially in its more restricted sense ‘to brand temple slaves’ and ‘to dedicate a person to a deity’. Understanding the Mesopotamian roots of šamata might help us better explain its unique regional features, shared by the Aramaic speaking groups in the Sasanian Empire. |
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| ISSN: | 1745-5227 |
| Enthält: | Enthalten in: Aramaic studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/17455227-bja10023 |