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The Mythology of Death in the Old Testament

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The Mythology of Death in the Old Testament THE MYTHOLOGY OF DEATH IN THE OLD TESTAMENT John Barclay Burns A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of St Andrews 1970 Full metadata for this item is available in St Andrews Research Repository at: http://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/13546 This item is protected by original copyright THE MYTHOLOGY OF DEATH 3'N THE OLD TESTAMENT A THESIS__BY JOHN BARCLAY BURNS, M.A., B.D. PRESENTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. ANDREWS IN APPLICATION FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OE PHILOSOPHY ProQuest Number: 10170970 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest. ProQuest 10170970 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 til? DECLARATION I hereby declare that the following Thesis is based on . the results of research carried out by me, that the Thesis is my own composition, and that it has not previously been presented for a higher degree. The research was carried out by me in St. Mary’s College, the University of St« Andrews between 1967 and 1970. Date: // Signature: /T I certify that has spent nine terms in research at St„ Mary’s College in the University of St, Andrews, that he has fulfilled the conditions of Ordinance/Court Resolution and that he is qualified to submit the following thesis in application for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ACKN OWLEDGEMENTS By far the greatest debt of gratitude is due to my supervisor the Revd, Professor William McKane of St, Mary’s College* It was under his guidance at the University of Glasgow that I first began to be interested in the Old Testament* No prospective Old Testament scholar could have had a more stimulating and painstaking teacher. Throughout the period of research for this thesis he has shown unflagging enthusiasm for the subject and unwearied patience in answering the endless flood of questions which were put to him* His keen eye has spotted many misinterpretations and he has often prevented me from doing grave injustice to the thought and language of the Old Testament, I have tried to be “attentive to his wisdom” and to "incline my thoughts to his understanding,” for without him this work could never have been written* During my winter semester at the University of Leiden I was deeply indebted to Professor* P.A*H* de Boer who kindly consented to sponsor me and made me a welcome guest at his home, I am also most grateful to Professor Bo Hartmann, Professor of Ancient Near Eastern Religion, who gave me private lessons in Ugaritic and to Drs, G, van Driel of the Assyriological Institute who endeavoured to hammer the rudiments of Akkadian into my head. These three have continued to be of assistance since my return to Scotland, The Revd* J.D, Martin of the Department of Old Testament in St* Mary’s College has been of great help in moments of difficulty and to him also I extend my warm thanks,, Finally I am most grateful to my cousin Miss Margaret Hamilton who has so gallantly undertaken the task of typing and photocopying the thesis, a task which she has performed with ease and skill. ■ .■■■I- V I /■iri.V 11 It is not customary, as far as I am aware, to dedicate z a thesis<> However, owing to certain personal circumstances, I wish to he permitted to dedicate this work to my beloved parents who have, throughout my university career, ensured that I might study in comfort, free from wcrry of any kind, To them I owe more than I can ever repay, "Let your father and mother be glad, let her who bore you rejoice," (Prov, 23*25) ABBREVIATIONS AJSL The American Journal of Semitic Languages (Chicago) A.NEP The Ancient Near East in Pictures (ed. J.B. Pritchard; Princeton, 1965) ANET Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament (ed. J„B. Pritchard; Princeton (l) 1950 and (2) 1955). AT Altes Testament BAS OR Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research. BDB A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament; (Fo Brown, S«R* Driver, CeA„ Briggs; Oxford, 1966). BWL Babylonian Wisdom Literature W.J. Lambert, (Oxford, i960). GAD The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago (1956 seq.). CML Canaanite Myths and Legends (G.R0 Driver; Edinburgh, 1956) DATD Das Alte Testament Deutsch (Gdttingen). IS The Interpreters Bible (Nashville, 1956), ICC The International Critical Commentary (Edinburgh), JB The Jerusalem Bible JBL The Journal of Biblical Literature (Philadelphia), JNES The Journal of Near Eastern Studies (Chicago) ♦ ** * K-B Lexicon in Veteris Testamenti Libros (L. Koehler and W. Baumgartner; Leiden, 1958 2nd ed„). 3rd ed. » B0 Hartmann, E.Y, Kutsch, Leiden, 1967), MT Massoretic Text NEB The New English Bible PEQ The Palestinian Exploration Quarterly (London), RB Revue Biblique (Paris) RHR Revue de 1‘histoire des Religions. RSV The revised Standard Version. TZ Theologische Zeitschrift UT Ugaritic Textbook (C.H. Gordon; Rome, 1965), VT Vetus Testamentum (Leiden) WC The Westminster Commentary ZATW Zeitschrift fWr die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft (Berlin) SUMMARY The Preface examines the concept of life in the Old Testament which is discovered to he centred firmly on this world; special reference is made to life in the Wisdom Literature. Death at the end of a long and full life was accepted with resignation. Despite the paucity of references to death and the underworld in the Old Testament, there are passages which contain references to the mythology of death. The first chapter provides a background by reviewing the relevant aspects of the mythology of death in Egypt, Mesopotamia and Canaan. Chapter 2 lists the names for the underworld in the Old Testament and considers the mythological allusions which contain references to the location and characteristics of the underworld. Chapter 3 discusses the dwellers in the underworld. The woi'ds rp*um in the Ugaritic texts and rp*mi in Phoenician inscriptions are surveyed as a background to rephaim in the Old Testament. The practices of necromancy and tomb-offerings are considered and it is concluded that while popular practice condoned them, official religion condemned them. In the fourth chapter the relation between the world ocean and the nethei' world is set out. As in the rest of the Ancient Near East the underworld was represented as lying in the depths of the ocean at the foot of the pillars which supported the earth. The deceased had to traverse this ocean on his way to the underworld. Chapter 5 deals with the concept of Sheol as a monster with gaping jaws and an insatiable appetite. This figure owes its ultimate origin to the Ugaritic god of death, Mot, whose ravenous appetite was proverbial. The sixth chapter surveys the personifications of death as a hunter, a shepherd and a robber. The powers of the underworld such as Abaddon, Sheol, Death the King of Terrors and the First-born of Death are discussed. if V— ii In conclusion, it is observed that the mythological allusions are fragmented and moribund, serving, for the most part, a literary purpose within the context of the Old Testament, Death was an experience which meant the cessation of all life. <5-5- C ON TEN T S Preface pp. 1 - 20 Notes pp. 21 - 23 Chapter 1 The Mythology of Death in the Ancient Near East. pp. 24 74 Notes pp. 75 84 Chapter 2 The Land of the Dead in the Old Testament pp. 85 156 Notes pp. 157 164 Chapter 5 The Dwellers in the Land of the Dead pp. 165 - 224 Notes pp, 225 - 229 Chapter 4 The Waters of Death pp. 230 263 Notes pp, 264 268 Chapter 5 Death the Monster pp. 269 285 Notes pp. 286 287 Chapter 6 Personification of the Powers of the Underworld. pp. 288 - 319 Notes pp. 320 - 324 Chapter 7 The Mythology of Death in the Old Testament pp. 325 - 345 Notes pp. 346 - 347 Bibliography pp. 348 - 356 PREFACE Where there is no life there cannot be death, nor any mythology of death. Thus it is necessary at the outset of this thesis, which purports to examine the mythology of death in the Old Testament, to say something, however brief, about life. For the average man in the world of the Ancient Near East a this~worldly concept of abundant life was the suramum bonum. Death was regarded with the greatest apprehension and all mankind dreaded its advent. Perhaps an exception must be made in the case of Egypt, where there was a hope of a happy hereafter; but it will he shown below that the Egyptian, like his fellows elsewhere in the Fertile Crescent, entertained a natural dislike of the thought of death and clung to the good life. In a milieu where death came frequently through lack of simple hygiene, plague, famine and war; in a world where infant mortality was high and the life expectancy low, men prayed constantly to their gods that they might he given life, not mere existence, however, but life which was long, full and blessed by many children who would render the deceased due honour, that his spirit might he at rest in the underworld.
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