Ritual and Cult at Ugarit (Writings from the Ancient World) [Paperback]

Dennis Pardee (Author)

Book Description

Series: Writings from the Ancient World | Publication Date: July 1, 2002

The Ugaritic ritual texts provide the only extensive documentary data for Late Bronze cultic practice in the greater Syro-Palestinian region. These texts, in a West-Semitic language that belongs to the same family as Hebrew and Aramaic, reflect the actual practice of a sacrificial cult in the city of Ugarit in the late twelfth-early eleventh centuries B.C.E. Based on new collations of the tablets, these texts and translations provide ready access to this direct witness to the form taken by one of the predecessors of the biblical sacrificial cult. In addition to the narrowly ritual texts, which were composed in prose and in a very laconic form of expression, a number of poetic texts are presented that reveal the ideological link that existed between cultic practice and the concept of royalty. While the prose ritual texts document a regular system of offerings to the great deities of the pantheon, related directly to the lunar cycle and less directly to the solar year, some of the poetic texts reveal the desire on the part of the kings of Ugarit to maintain ties with their departed ancestors. The kings saw their effective power as consisting of a continuum from the royal ancestors through to the reigning king and the passage of this power as being effected by ritual practice. More mundane concerns were also addressed ritually, such as protecting horses or other equids from snakebite, finding a cure for a sick child, or defending people from attack by sorcerers. The practice of divination at Ugarit is documented by other texts, both in the form of "manuals," collections of collections of omens from past practice, and in the form of accounts of real-world consultations with a divinatory priest by someone seeking guidance.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Dennis Pardee is Professor of Northwest Semitic Philology at the University of Chicago.

About the Author

Dennis Pardee, Ph.D. (1974), University of Chicago, is Professor of Northwest Semitic Philology at the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Society of Biblical Literature (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589830261
• ISBN-13: 978-1589830264
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,801,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In Their Own Words, January 31, 2011

By 

Tess Dawson (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ritual and Cult at Ugarit (Writings from the Ancient World) (Paperback)

_Ritual and Cult at Ugarit_ examines the lesser-known Ugaritic texts pertaining to religion: offering lists, ritual calendar, magical texts, incantations, divinations, prayers, drinking rites, blessings, and administrative texts. Older books on the subject of Canaanite / Levantine / Syro-Palestinian religion focus upon the Bible to illustrate and understand Canaanite religious practices; however this book uses primary sources written by the people of the Bronze Age city of Ugarit.

Besides scholars, a layperson can benefit from this book and find it fascinating: especially the 1200 year old recipe for a hangover that includes hair of the dog (I'm not joking). The translation and examination of these texts share with us how an ancient people struggled just as we do today with the same issues: health, celebration, transgression, community, death, and protection.

If you have an interest in Canaanite religion, either because you wish to study ancient Canaanite religion either for its own sake or to better understand later religions that Canaanite culture influenced, this book is a must.

4.0 out of 5 stars Canaanite Religion, December 31, 2011

By 

S. Cranow "The Granovitch" (ENCINO, CA, US) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ritual and Cult at Ugarit (Writings from the Ancient World) (Hardcover)

Some how I was not so jazzed about this book. It was scholarly and well written but it was just too dry. It would be great for the scholar and to get anything out of the book you need good background knowledge of Canaanite Mythology. The book is based on finding of Ugaritic religious text uncovered or at Ras Shamra. Contained in this book are Deity list, steps for how to do certain rites, drinking or Marzihu rites along with incantations and Historiolae. One major problem I found with the book was that the texts were far from complete. In fact in certain of the texts major chunks were missing. This is no fault of the author who is just trying to relay the information as he receives it. Perhaps a possible remedy was to include some background or filler information in layman terms that would make for informative and interesting reading.One learns that there are several cults in Ugaritic religion not just one central religion. This work focused on the cult of the royalty. The religious text tells on what days certain sacrifices should be made and to what gods and what days they should be made. The king is told to bathe where to begin and when his responsibility his ended. The text does not tell where the sacrifices happen and from where the animal sacrifices should come from. It does not say to who it goes to either. It seems that sacrifices to male gods were more frequent but that part of the animal could be eaten. When the fewer sacrifices were made the entire animal was burned or part of it was given to the water.The deity lists show heavy Babylonian influence and even have Sumerian words in them. This could be from the Amorites who preceded then in ruler ship of the area . The Amorites also assimilated Babylonian culture quite readily. While certain religious components show Babylonian, Hurrian and Hittite influence the Ugaritic texts pertaining to divination shown marked difference from Babyonian characteristic and that of the neighbors. Be it known that deity names and language from surrounding cultures had definitely seeped in.Incantations were mentioned especially in a defense against snake bits and scorpions who were thought to have been sent by sorcerers. Ugarit Magic was geared primarily for defense against sorcerers and the evil eye. The evil eye in Canaanite magic is seen as a separate entity apart from the sorcerer. There are also defenses against incantation, familiars of sorcerers and companions of sorcerers. Lastly there is a defense against male impotence which was also thought ton be cause by a sorcerers magic.Over all an acceptable book that is geared mostly toward the scholarly. If I was a layman I would enhance my knowledge elsewhere.