Notes to Chapter 10. Prophetism

Giorgio Buccellati, “When on High…”

August 2023

10.1 Structural Comparisons with Divination
10.2 The Creation Ethos
10.3 The Absolute Event
10.4 Cultural Configurations: The Classical Prophets
10.5 Relationship with the Institutions
10.6 The Interlocutors
10.7 The Mesopotamian "Prophetism"

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"Boson1918Assiriologia.d": duplicate bibliography "Boson1918Assiriologia" for site "Akk-lg".
"Bottero1992Reasoning.d": duplicate bibliography "Bottero1992Reasoning" for site "Mes-rel".
"Buccellati1972Teodicea.d": duplicate bibliography "Buccellati1972Teodicea" for site "Mes-lit".
"Cauvin2000Birth.d": duplicate bibliography "Cauvin2000Birth" for site "Mes-rel".
"DMB.d": duplicate bibliography "DMB" for site "Mes-rel".
"Edzard2003Sumerian.d": duplicate bibliography "Edzard2003Sumerian" for site "Mes-rel".
"Oshima2014Sufferers.d": duplicate bibliography "Oshima2014Sufferers" for site "Mes-rel".
"Trinkaus1983Shanidar.d": duplicate bibliography "Trinkaus1983Shanidar" for site "Mes-rel".

10.1 Structural Comparisons with Divination

Tadmor (Tadmor 1975 Assyria West) does not distinguish between prophets (nabî) and the technicians of divination (barÃ») and so may have missed the difference between Israelite prophets and partially analogous activities in Mesopotamia. The former are called, the latter are seers.
– [ Jonah Lynch, April 2020]
For a discussion about structural comparison between Mesopotamian and Biblical religions, regarding divination, prophecies/omina, and apocalypses, see Buccellati 1972 Beatitudini.
– [ Marco De Pietri, June 2020]
In general, on prophecy in ancient Mesopotamia, see RlA, sub voce ‘Prophetie’; § 5 specifically focuses on a comparison between Ancient Near Eastern and biblical prophetism.

Cf. the website Prophets in the Ancient Near East; in bibliography on this website under Prophets.

For further bibliography on the topic, see: Blum 2008 Prophetie; Charpin 2002 Prophetes; Durand 1997 Mari; Heintz 1997 Oracles; Huffmon 2000 Prophets; Huffmon 2012 False; de Jong 1989 Observations; Kockert 2003 Propheten; Lafont 1984 Adad; Lemaire 2001 Prophets; Lion 2000 Mentions; Nissinen 1998 S A A S 7; Nissinen 2000 Prophecy; Nissinen 2003 Prophetie; Nissinen 2003 Prophets (cf. also Nissinen 2019 Prophets); Nissinen 2019 Prophets (second enriched edition of: Nissinen 2003 Prophets); Nissinen 2019 Divination; Oppenheim 1954 Af O 17; Parpola 1997 S A A 9; Pongratz- Leisten 1999 Herrschaftswissen; Sharp 2016 Prophets; Weippert 1985 Bildsprache; Weippert 2001 Prophetie; Weippert 2002 Konig.
– [ Marco De Pietri, August 2020]
For the Akkadian term bārû, ‘diviner’, see CAD 2 = B, pp. 121-125. Cf. supra Cf. supra 9.1.
– [ Marco De Pietri, August 2020]
For the Hebrew term נָבִיא,nābî’ (‘prophet’) see DCH 5, pp. 586-591. It is also interesting to note that also a feminine counterpart does exist, the Hebrew term נְבִיאָה, n^ebî’āh, (‘prophet’, but n.f., hence ‘prophetess’), see DCH 5, pp. 592, «prophesying with song (Ex. 15, 20), as judge (Jg. 4, 4), giving word of Y. (2 Kings 22, 14), opponent of Nehemiah (Ne. 6, 14), married to Isaiah (Is. 8, 3) [etc.]».
– [ Marco De Pietri, August 2020]
Against a model based on two separate categories distinguished by procedure or technique (“technical / operational / deductive” vs, “intuitive / direct / inspired” see Kitz 2003 Prophecy.
– [ Stefania Ermidoro, November 2020]
In ancient Mesopotamia, extispicy is very often compared to a trial: see e.g. Koch 2010 Strikes (esp. pp. 51-53)
– [ Stefania Ermidoro, November 2020]
See Nissinen 2017 Ancient Prophecy for a treatment of prophecy as compared with divination.
– [ Jonah Lynch, January 2021]

10.2 The Creation Ethos

The prophet as “watchman”: Bodi 2015 Agents.
– [ Jonah Lynch, March 2020]
For the different perspectives on ‘creation’ in monotheism and polytheism, see Buccellati 2014 Time.
– [ Marco De Pietri, June 2020]

10.3 The Absolute Event

For the interaction of the absolute with time, see Buccellati 2014 Time.
– [ Marco De Pietri, August 2020]

10.4 Cultural Configurations: The Classical Prophets

For the passages mentioned by G. Buccellati in Chapter 10, Section 4, about Elijah and Elisha, see the following links: 1 Kings 17-19; 2 Kings 2, 4-8.
– [ Marco De Pietri, August 2020]
On the prophetic status of Moses, see Artus 2015 Moise.
– [ Jonah Lynch, January 2021]

10.5 Relationship with the Institutions

The prophet contributes to conserving and building the institutions, even when he finds himself criticizing their failings. See: Gonzalez 2015 Colere.
– [ Jonah Lynch, April 2020]

10.6 The Interlocutors

For the passage mentioning the sentence «voices crying out in the desert», see Is. 40, 3 and cf. John 1, 23 Greek (SBL) and English.
– [ Marco De Pietri, August 2020]

10.7 The Mesopotamian "Prophetism"

For a discussion about Mesopotamian prophetism, see Buccellati 1972 Beatitudini.
– [ Marco De Pietri, June 2020]
For Appendix 9, see here; cf. Dossin 1967 Correspondance, Dossin 1978 Correspondance, and Durand 1988 Archives.
– [ Marco De Pietri, August 2020]
For Mari/Tell Hariri, see here.
– [ Marco De Pietri, August 2020]
For an example of divinatory verification of prophetic messages, see Kitz 2003 Prophecy, pp. 26-27.
– [ Stefania Ermidoro, November 2020]
See Deluty 2020 Prophecy for a view of prophecy as a subtype of divination, especially in Mari.
– [ Jonah Lynch, January 2021]