RELS 203/303 Ancient Religion: Egypt to Mesopotamia
RELS 203/303 Ancient Religion: Egypt to Mesopotamia Pre-Christmas Summer School, 2019 The Opening of the Mouth ceremony (1275 BC), EA 9901 (British Museum) Course Outline & Study Guide 1 COURSE DESCRIPTION RELS 203/303 examines some of the key religious practices, beliefs and texts of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Levant, ca. 3000–300 BCE. In this paper we explore the religious ideas and practices of three civilisations of the ancient world: their gods and goddesses, their temples and priests, their attempts to communicate with the divine and to exercise power via magic, as well as their foundational myths and their expectations concerning the afterlife. Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Levant (Syria-Aram, Palestine/Israel, Phoenicia, Philistia, and the Transjordan) fascinated early European explorers and scholars, their long-lost religious texts shedding light on the world from which Judaism, Christianity, and Islam later evolved. While demonstrating such influences, the paper will focus on understanding Ancient Near Eastern religion in its own right and in relation to debates within recent scholarship. The course will proceed around what is known as the Fertile Crescent in the Ancient Near East, traveling broadly from the east to the west: Lectures 1-9: Mesopotamia Lectures 10-16: The Levant Lectures 17-24: Egypt ABOUT THE LECTURER Deane Galbraith lectures on Judaism, Ancient Religion (Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Levantine), Paganism and Mystery Cults, and the introductory course to Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Deane’s major areas of research include the development of traditions within the Jewish Pentateuch, contemporary Evangelical prophecy movements, and resurrection stories. He is also the founding editor of Relegere: Studies in Religion and Reception, a journal examining the influence and effects of religious traditions within history and modern culture.
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