'There's such Divinity doth Hedge a King': Selected Essays of Nicolas Wyatt on Royal Ideology in Ugaritic and Old Testament Literature (Society for Old Testament Study)

Wyatt, Nicolas

ISBN 10: 0754653307 / ISBN 13: 9780754653301

Published by Routledge, 2005

About this Item

Seller Inventory # I-9780754653301

Bibliographic Details

• Title: 'There's such Divinity doth Hedge a King': Selected Essays of Nicolas Wyatt on Royal Ideology in Ugaritic and Old Testament Literature (Society for Old Testament Study)
• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication Date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0754653307
• ISBN 13: 9780754653301
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

The ideology of power is as much a part of modern life as in the ancient world, in which it has its long-lasting roots. Communities have always provided a supernatural sanction for the maintenance of power by the few, often dressing it up in elaborate mythic fictions, rich iconography and complex rituals. This volume presents Nicolas Wyatt's discussions of royal ideology, its mythic and ritual expressions and various literary treatments in ancient Israel, viewed from a comparative perspective. Exploring the possibility that in many of the manifestations of Israelite kingship we can detect the influence of broader cultural patterns, notably as found in Egyptian and West Semitic contexts, he considers the main early cultural influences on Israel and emphasizes the mythic dimension in which the 'divinity' of the king is a real factor.

About the Author

Nicolas Wyatt is Professor of Ancient Near Eastern Religions at the School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh, UK.