Ancient Israelite Literature in its Cultural Context: A Survey of Parallels Between Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Texts (review)

Hebrew Studies 32 (1991) 182 Reviews ANCIENT ISRAELITE LITERATURE IN ITS CULTURAL CONTEXT: A SURVEY OF PARALLELS BETWEEN BIBLICAL AND ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN TEXTS. By John H. Walton. Pp. 249. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 1989. Cloth. $19.95. Since the discovery of the dead cultures of the ancient Near East (ANE) in the last century. the perspectives of biblical scholars have changed dramatically . Notwithstanding voices of opposition to the comparison of the Bible with the "pagan" cultures of the ANE heard from circles of those who may be called "fundamentalists." and even from other less conservative scholars•• today it is hardly possible to fmd biblical studies which in one way or another do not make use of. or at least allude to, the wealth of evidence left to us by those prolific cultures of the ANE. The abundance of parallels adduced over the years between various parts and genres of the Bible and the literatures of the ANE makes it very hard for the interested scholar. let alone the beginning student, to fmd his way in the labyrinth of materials and scholarly discussions pertaining to this one aspect of the study of the Bible-the comparative aspect. Anthologies, such as ANET (pritchard 1969), while rendering tremendous service by translating and assembling large samples of various genres from all over the ANE, do no more than present the raw material without in any way discussing its parallels-assumed or real-with pertinent parts of the Bible. As such, they are of little help for the novice. The book under review here purports to fill the gap by providing the interested scholar, and particularly the beginner, with a "survey of the parallels that exist within the various genres of literature between the Old Testament and the primary cultures of the ancient Near East" (p. 14), specifically "directed to the nonspecialist" (p. 15), though the hope is voiced that professors too might make use of it in their classes (p. 17). The author proceeds to carry out his task in the following way. He divides the literatures of the Bible and the ANE into nine genres, covering "Cosmology" (chap. I), "Personal Archives and Epics" (chap. 2), "Legal Texts" (chap. 3), "Covenants and Treaties" (chap. 4), "Historical Literature " (chap. 5), "Hymns, Prayers, and Incantations" (chap. 6), "Wisdom Literature" (chap. 7), "Prophetic Literature" (chap. 8), and "Apocalyptic Literature" (chap. 9). He begins each chapter with a presentation of the 1 For a summary of the history of what has come to be called the "Babel.Bibel"-controversy, sec 1. 1. Finkelstein (1958:432-444). Hebrew Studies 32 (1991) 183 Reviews materials available: texts, description, publication data, and a short summary of the content of each composition. There follows a part entitled "Discussion:' in which the main themes of each composition are evaluated, as well as the similarities and differences it exhibits with the Bible. The third, and apparently most important part, deals with "Cases of Alleged Borrowing," where the attempt is made to deal with the difficult question of the possible dependence of one source (usually the Bible) upon the parallel source (usually from the literatures of the ANE). Each chapter ends with a concise list of studies "For Further Reading." The introduction presents the reader with some introductory and preliminary matters such as the "Purpose" of the book, the "Pitfalls" involved, "Perspective," "Procedure," and "Prospects." These are important in as much as they exhibit the author's views and premises to be detected later in his discussions (see below). In the chapter of "Summary and Conclusions" the author summarizes in an inventorial manner all the similarities and differences adduced in each chapter with the goal of reaching a verdict on the extent and nature of the Bible's dependence upon the cultures of the ANE, if any. Admittedly, such a systematic organization and presentation of the evidence pertaining to the comparative aspect of the study of the Bible is very helpful, not only for the nonspecialist, but also for the busy scholar who does not always have the time to delve into libraries in search of relevant materials and bibliography. Walton has saved the interested scholar and teacher much of the tedious task of compiling...