Prophecy in the Ancient Middle East
Objectives
- To understand the prophetic phenomenon and its similitudes with divination and the phenomenology of communication with the divine;
- To recognize the aspects of homogeneity within the context of the prophetic phenomenon in the ancient Middle East;
- To understand the differences between oracle and the text; the process of textual formation and prophetic literature;
- To know the theological aspects of some biblical prophets;
- To understand the complexity of prophetic language and its literary dimension
General characterization
Code
711051159
Credits
6
Responsible teacher
Available soon
Hours
Weekly - 4
Total - Available soon
Teaching language
Portuguese
Prerequisites
None
Bibliography
- BOTTÉRO, Jean, «Symptômes, signes, écritures en Mésopotamie ancienne», in Jean-Pierre Vernant et al., Divination et Rationalité, Paris, Éditions du Seuil, 1974.
- CARAMELO, Francisco, A Linguagem Profética na Mesopotâmia (Mari e Assíria), Lisboa, Patrimonia, 2002.
- LÓPEZ, Jesús, SANMARTÍN, Joaquín, Mitología y Religión del Oriente Antiguo I Egipto Mesopotamia, Sabadell, Editorial Ausa, 1993.
- OVERHOLT, Thomas W., Prophecy in Cross-Cultural perspective: a source book for biblical researches, Atlanta, Scholars Press,1986.
- PARPOLA, Simo, Assyrian Prophecies, Helsinki, Helsinki University Press, 1997.
Teaching method
-Theoretical classes, where the content is exposed.
-Didactic support, projecting images, maps, texts and schemes.
-Practical exercises, analysing texts and iconographic documents.
In class teaching
Evaluation method
Two written elements: one test and one individual paperwork. The final grade will be the average of the two elements, which have a preponderance of 50% each.
Subject matter
1. Fate and destiny for the Mesopotamians
A theocentric mentality
The creation of humankind and the link between deities and humans
2. Divine communication
Divination and divinatory thecniques
Prophecy and prophets
3. Prophecy in Mari
The historical context
Political and religious themes in the prophecies
Categories of prophets and their techniques
Oracle and text
4. Assyrian prophecy
Historical context
Political and religious themes in the prophecies
Categories of prophets and their techniques
Oracle and text
5.The Prophetic Language
Literary production and reception
Figurative dimension
Intertextuality
Performativity