ANCIENT LITERATURE, ANCIENT CHRONICLES VOLUME 1 : THE MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA AND ASIA STUDENT TEXTBOOK Compiled and edited by J. Parnell McCarter ANCIENT LITERATURE, ANCIENT CHRONICLES VOLUME 1 : THE MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA AND ASIA Compiled and edited by J. Parnell McCarter ©2004 J. Parnell McCarter. All Rights Reserved. 6408 Wrenwood Jenison, MI 49428 (616) 457-8095 The Puritans’ Home School Curriculum www.puritans.net 2 ANCIENT LITERATURE, ANCIENT CHRONICLES VOLUME 1 : THE MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA AND ASIA TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………..p. 4 CHAPTER 1 : OF THE JEWS ……….………………………………………..p. 5 CHAPTER 2 : OF THE CANAANITES ……………….………….…….….p. 19 CHAPTER 3 : OF THE HITTITES.…………………………………………..p. 58 CHAPTER 4 : OF SUMER IN MESOPOTAMIA…………………………....p. 64 CHAPTER 5 : OF AKKADIA IN MESOPOTAMIA ……..………………....p. 96 CHAPTER 6 : OF BABYLONIA IN MESOPOTAMIA……..………….…..p. 101 CHAPTER 7 : OF ASSYRIA ………………….…..…………..………….….p. 114 CHAPTER 8 : OF NEO-BABYLONIA IN MESOPOTAMIA ……………....p. 133 CHAPTER 9 : OF THE MEDES AND PERSIANS…...….….……………….p. 146 CHAPTER 10 : OF ARMENIA………….………….…..…………………….p. 169 CHAPTER 11 : OF EGYPT…………………………….…………………….p. 177 CHAPTER 12 : OF INDIA…………………………………………………….p. 207 CHAPTER 13 : OF CHINA…………………..……………………………….p. 214 CHAPTER 14 : OF JAPAN………………..………………………………….p. 227 APPENDIX : FURTHER STUDY……………………..………………….….p. 267 3 INTRODUCTION The purpose of the Ancient Literature, Ancient Chronicles series is to provide high school students with a broad exposure to the literature (and especially the chronicles) of ancient peoples from many parts of the world. The series is designed as a follow-up textbook to the textbook Introduction to Ancient Literature, published by The Puritans’ Home School Curriculum ( www.puritans.net ). Like Introduction to Ancient Literature, the textbook Ancient Literature, Ancient Chronicles is especially prepared for courses taught by Westminster Covenant Academy. It is our conviction that the Bible of the Old and New Testaments is the foundation of all true knowledge. We believe that the literature and chronicles of the peoples of the world, when rightly interpreted, corroborate the veracity and historicity of scripture. Virtually all of the contents of Ancient Literature, Ancient Chronicles are available on the internet. Ancient Literature, Ancient Chronicles gives the website addresses of the literature so students wanting to study certain works more in depth may do so. There is now a plethora of such resources available on the internet. And we hope a course using Ancient Literature, Ancient Chronicles as the textbook will encourage further study by students, using these resources. Since mankind began in the Middle East, it is only appropriate that this series of literature and chronicles should begin there in Volume 1. The Middle East is the place where historically the three main people and language groups of the world – the Semitic, the Indo-European, and the Hamitic – have met. Of course, not by accident, these three groups correspond to the three sons of Noah- Shem, Japheth, and Ham. Even humanist scholars must acknowledge that the language groups follow along the basic lines suggested by Genesis. Consider this statement from http://ragz-international.com/sumeria.htm (see also http://individual.utoronto.ca/ullyot/verticals/geoffrey1.html ) : “Their language is not related to those major language families that later appear in the Near East - Semites and Indo-Europeans. (The original home of the Semitic-speaking peoples is thought to have been the Arabian peninsula, while the Indo-Europeans seem to be migrated from the region north of the Black and Caspian seas. A third, much smaller language family is the Hamitic, which included the Egyptians and other peoples of northeastern Africa.)” Much as humanist scholarship would like to try, it cannot escape Biblical categories. Besides considering the literature of the Middle East, Volume 1 also includes some ancient literature and chronicles of Africa, especially Egypt, as well as Asia. And Volume 2 of Ancient Literature, Ancient Chronicles consists of literature and chronicles of Europe. 4 CHAPTER 1 : OF THE JEWS The most important of all historical chronicles, because of its infallible divine inspiration, is the Bible. It is the foundation upon which all study of history and literature must rest. And it is, of course, primarily of Hebrew authorship (humanly speaking). Due to this unique place of the Bible, Westminster Covenant Academy and the Puritans’ Home School Curriculum devote separate books and courses just to it. But it is not the only historical chronicle of the Jews. Some of the most notable other literature and chronicles (though certainly not of divine inspiration) of Jewish authorship are those of Josephus. The historian known to posterity by the Latinized name Josephus was a member of Jerusalem’s priestly aristocracy who, at age 30, was taken hostage in the great Jewish revolt against Rome [66-70 AD] and spent the rest of his life in Roman circles as a protégé of three emperors [Vespasian, Titus & Domitian]. His constant need to explain his role in the unsuccessful Jewish uprising that climaxed with the destruction of the Jerusalem temple led him to publish four works [in Greek] that are our prime source for information about events that shaped the history of Jews of the second temple period. Taken to Rome after the war, Josephus was declared a freed man, granted Roman citizenship, provided a pension & lodging on Vespasian’s estates. He adopted the family name of his imperial patrons & was thus known to Romans as Flavius Josephus. He was near the top of Vespasian’s “civil list” of Roman citizens. He witnessed first-hand the rebuilding of Rome after Nero’s fire [65 CE] & the erection of the Flavian monuments [Colosseum, the temple of Peace, the forum of Vespasian & the arch of Titus, depicting the conquest of the temple in Jerusalem]. He used his position both to support the cause of the Flavian emperors & to defend his own place as a fixture in their court. Though he gave his children gentile names, he remained dedicated to his Jewish heritage, spending years writing voluminous works to explain & glorify those who championed the laws of Moses to Romans who, in the wake of the Jewish revolt, regarded all Jews as lawless riff- raff & bandits. After his death a statue was erected to him and his works placed in the Roman public library, where they came to be a major source of information for all later historians: Christian, Jewish & secular [Eusebius, History of the Church 3.9]. In this chapter we shall read extended excerpts from Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews (available at http://www.bible- history.com/links.php?cat=16&sub=104&cat_name=Ancient+Documents&subcat_name =Projects ) : “Book 1 – Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION THE CONSTITUTION OF THE WORLD AND THE DISPOSITION OF THE ELEMENTS. 1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. But when the earth did not come into sight, but was covered with thick darkness, and a wind moved upon its surface, God commanded that there should be light: and when that was made, he considered the whole mass, and separated the light and the darkness; and the name he gave to one was 5 Night, and the other he called Day: and he named the beginning of light, and the time of rest, The Evening and The Morning, and this was indeed the first day… Book 1 – Chapter 3 INTRODUCTION CONCERNING THE FLOOD; AND AFTER WHAT MANNER NOAH WAS SAVED IN AN ARK, WITH HIS KINDRED, AND AFTERWARDS DWELT IN THE PLAIN OF SHINAR, 1. NOW this posterity of Seth continued to esteem God as the Lord of the universe, and to have an entire regard to virtue, for seven generations; but in process of time they were perverted, and forsook the practices of their forefathers; and did neither pay those honors to God which were appointed them, nor had they any concern to do justice towards men. But for what degree of zeal they had formerly shown for virtue, they now showed by their actions a double degree of wickedness, whereby they made God to be their enemy… Now Lamech, when he had governed seven hundred and seventy-seven years, appointed Noah, his son, to be ruler of the people, who was born to Lamech when he was one hundred and eighty-two years old, and retained the government nine hundred and fifty years… 5. When God gave the signal, and it began to rain, the water poured down forty entire days, till it became fifteen cubits higher than the earth; which was the reason why there was no greater number preserved, since they had no place to fly to. When the rain ceased, the water did but just begin to abate after one hundred and fifty days, (that is, on the seventeenth day of the seventh month,) it then ceasing to subside for a little while. After this, the ark rested on the top of a certain mountain in Armenia; which, when Noah understood, he opened it; and seeing a small piece of land about it, he continued quiet, and conceived some cheerful hopes of deliverance. But a few days afterward, when the water was decreased to a greater degree, he sent out a raven, as desirous to learn whether any other part of the earth were left dry by the water, and whether he might go out of the ark with safety; but the raven, finding all the land still overflowed, returned to Noah again. And after seven days he sent out a dove, to know the state of the ground; which came back to him covered with mud, and bringing an olive branch: hereby Noah learned that the earth was become clear of the flood. So after he had staid seven more days, he sent the living creatures out of the ark; and both he and his family went out, when he also sacrificed to God, and feasted with his companions.