Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament with Supplement (Hardcover)

by James Bennett Pritchard (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Review
[A] very useful book, soundly conceived, competently edited, and beautifully printed. It offers in translation texts of the most important documents which throw light on the Near East background of the Old Testament. As a source book it will be welcomed not merely by Biblical students, but by all ancient historians who concern themselves with the cultures anterior to those of Greece and Rome.
(Archaeology )

Product Description

This anthology brought together the most important historical, legal, mythological, liturgical, and secular texts of the ancient Near East, with the purpose of providing a rich contextual base for understanding the people, cultures, and literature of the Old Testament. A scholar of religious thought and biblical archaeology, James Pritchard recruited the foremost linguists, historians, and archaeologists to select and translate the texts. The goal, in his words, was "a better understanding of the likenesses and differences which existed between Israel and the surrounding cultures." Before the publication of these volumes, students of the Old Testament found themselves having to search out scattered books and journals in various languages. This anthology brought these invaluable documents together, in one place and in one language, thereby expanding the meaning and significance of the Bible for generations of students and readers. As one reviewer put it, "This great volume is one of the most notable to have appeared in the field of Old Testament scholarship this century."

Princeton published a follow-up companion volume, The Ancient Near East in Pictures Relating to the Old Testament (1954), and later a one-volume abridgment of the two, The Ancient Near East: An Anthology of Texts and Pictures (1958). The continued popularity of this work in its various forms demonstrates that anthologies have a very important role to play in education--and in the mission of a university press.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 735 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press; 3 edition (December 1, 1969)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691035032
• ISBN-13: 978-0691035031
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.8 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #100,009 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Valuable Resource, May 4, 2000

By	C. Hoerth - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Prichard's ANET is a standard reference for those examining the cultural setting of the Bible. It contains translations of many important inscriptions which shed light on otherwise mysterious Bible customs.

Generally regarded as a scholarly work, it's worth checking out for the layperson as well. Some of the jargon may be a little tricky, but there's no substitute for original source material, which makes up the majority of the book. Besides, some of the stories are just a plain old (very old) good read.

Included are such things as the Epic of Gilgamesh (containing our oldest Flood parallels), the Nuzi Texts (which help us understand the life of Jacob, among others), and various of the ancient law codes which have parallels to the biblical code.

Tremendously useful for study!

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a classic, May 15, 2000

By	TammyJo Eckhart "TammyJo Eckhart" (Bloomington, Indiana United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Pritchard's contributions to Near Eastern studies can not be praised enough. Here we have many surviving text translated well and supplemented by commentary on social and historical background. Well worth the money and time for the serious scholar.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best sets of primary sources, September 22, 2006

By	Yonatan Zunger (Mountain View, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a book that needs to be on the shelf of anyone seriously studying the ancient Near East, with or without an interest in Biblical archaeology. It collects an enormous variety of ancient texts and inscriptions, trying to give the current "gold-standard" translations (with extensive footnoting discussing ambiguities, variants, and so on, and tying it in closely to all of the original literature on which the book is based). Some of the texts are things you can find in many sources, like the Epic of Gilgamesh or some of the Egyptian hymns; but this book collects an extraordinary range of things that you would normally need a giant research library to find, such as early Palestinian ostraka, a wide selection of Egyptian and Akkadian oracles and prophecies, and even a Sumerian lullaby. (!!)