The Conflict Myth and the Biblical Tradition
Language: English
Pages: 304
ISBN: 0199370257
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
There are many ancient West Asian stories that narrate the victory of a warrior deity over an enemy, typically a sea-god or sea dragon, and his rise to divine kingship. In The Conflict Myth and the Biblical Tradition, Debra Scoggins Ballentine analyzes this motif, arguing that it was used within ancient political and socio-religious discourses to bolster particular divine hierarchies, kings, institutions, and groups, as well as to attack others. Situating her study of the conflict topos within contemporary theorizations of myth by Bruce Lincoln, Russell McCutcheon, and Jonathan Z. Smith, Ballentine examines narratives of divine combat and instances of this conflict motif. Her study cuts across traditional disciplinary boundaries as well as constructed time periods, focusing not only on the Hebrew Bible but also incorporating Mesopotamian, early Jewish, early Christian, and rabbinic texts, spanning a period of almost three millennia - from the eighteenth century BCE to the early middle ages CE. The Conflict Myth and the Biblical Tradition advances our understanding of the conflict topos in ancient west Asian and early Jewish and Christian literatures and of how mythological and religious ideas are used both to validate and render normative particular ideologies and socio-political arrangements, and to delegitimize and invalidate others.
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victorious warrior and enhances the portrayal of the Egyptian king and army as illegitimate. The most significant effect of combination of the conflict and exodus motifs, however, is that the temporal location of Yahweh’s combat with the sea changes. The exodus narrative sits within the beginning of biblical historiography, which purports to be the foundational history of the Israelites and Judeans.37 Through combination of the conflict and exodus motifs, Yahweh’s combat with the sea is placed
fourth beast from the sea, because of the “great words” its horn spoke, is slain and its body is destroyed and burned (Dan 7:11). The dominion of the remaining three beasts is taken away (Dan 7:12). No agent is identified in the slaying the fourth beast, but it is apparent that the Ancient of Days has secure authority. The Ancient of Days then gives eternal dominion to “one like a son of man” (Dan 7:13–14), who comes on the clouds of heaven. After seeing these things, Daniel asks for an
obey him?’ ” (Luke 8:25). The disciples’ rhetorical question suggests that it is a superhuman ability to successfully command the wind/sea/water, and this suggestion corresponds completely with the notion in the Hebrew Bible that this authority belongs to the divine. The gospel stories employ this concept in service of promoting Jesus as superhuman figure who wields divine power. Commentators generally note a connection between these gospel stories and the relevant Hebrew Bible passages, but they
Mark 4:35–41; Luke 8:22–25; 2 Macc 9:8; and b. Baba Meṣiʿa 59b) and of walking on the sea (as preserved in Matt 14:22–33; Mark 6:45–52; John 6:16–21; and 2 Macc 5:21) are used to make particular claims about the authority and legitimacy of Jesus, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, and Gamaliel, respectively. The notions of calming the sea and walking on the sea are both variations of controlling the sea. To control the sea is a superhuman ability according to these texts as well as the biblical notions from
fear and do not accept. However, this hierarchy still employs the same devices that the gods used before and use again once they have restored an order that they prefer: kingship and the Tablet of Destinies. Tiamat has been vindicated of the label “chaos” by scholars specializing in Mesopotamian traditions as well as biblical scholars. Karen Sonik shows that notions of “chaos” from Greek and Roman traditions do not fit the plot or conceptual world of Enuma Elish. She explains that the only