Nebuchadnezzar’s Affliction: New Mesopotamian Parallels for Daniel 4
In an article in this journal, Christopher B. Hays argued that Nebuchadnezzar’s affliction is best understood in the context of netherworld imagery (“Chirps from the Dust: The Afflictions of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:30 in Its Ancient Near Eastern Context,” JBL 126 [2007]: 305–25). On the other han...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Published: |
Scholar's Press
2014
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| In: |
Journal of Biblical literature
Year: 2014, Volume: 133, Issue: 3, Pages: 497-507 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | In an article in this journal, Christopher B. Hays argued that Nebuchadnezzar’s affliction is best understood in the context of netherworld imagery (“Chirps from the Dust: The Afflictions of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:30 in Its Ancient Near Eastern Context,” JBL 126 [2007]: 305–25). On the other hand, Matthias Henze believes that Nebuchadnezzar’s affliction follows the trope of the uncivilized man akin to Enkidu in the Epic of Gilgamesh (The Madness of King Nebuchadnezzar [1999]). Hays appealed to the supposed lack of evidence that such a primal status could result from the curse of a deity. But magico-medical Mesopotamian texts known as the dingir.šà.dib.ba incantations do provide clear evidence that a primal earthly status could result from a divine curse. Accordingly, those texts support Henze’s interpretation while validating Hays’s argument that Mesopotamian prayer genres can illuminate Daniel 4. |
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| ISSN: | 1934-3876 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of Biblical literature
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1353/jbl.2014.0029 |