By Charles Halton on Tuesday, 1 September 2009 at 9:33 pm
Here is a pre-publication version of my article appearing in Ancient Near Eastern Studies 46 (2009): Halton–ANES 46
There are a few minor changes from this version and the printed article–mostly just fixed typos. I dedicated this article to Daniel Block and David Aaron for their influence upon my appreciation of rhetorical and literary criticism. Here is the abstract; let me know what you think of the article:
The purpose of this article is to begin the evaluation of the rhetorical aims and
strategies of the use of allusions within Neo-Assyrian oracles. These allusions are
to some of the most prominent texts within the Mesopotamian literary stream of
tradition: Adapa and the South Wind, Atra-Ìasis, and the Gilgames Epic.
The authors borrowed imagery from these works and fused it with their own
rhetorical purposes. Prophets even used allusions that contained a complex set of
apparently conflicting associations. The use of subtle allusions that often contain
complex associations should cause modern readers to more greatly appreciate the
rhetorical abilities of the Neo-Assyrian prophets.
Comments (3)
Category: Akkadian Language,All,My Publications
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Comment by Joseph Kelly
Made Tuesday, 1 of September , 2009 at 10:21 pm
This is great Charles. For my Old Testament World class this semester, I am planning to write a paper on intertextuality. Right now, my professor has recommended I plow quickly through Fishbane (BIAI) and try to follow the academic discussion since 1985 before narrowing in on any particular facet of the field. Your article/bibliography is timely! I would love any recommendations/suggestions you may have.
Pingback by Charles Halton’s ANES Article « Daniel O. McClellan
Made Wednesday, 2 of September , 2009 at 12:12 am
[...] Charles Halton has been kind enough to make available a pre-pub version of his article “Allusions to the Stream of Tradition in Neo-Assyrian Oracles” (Ancient Near Eastern Studies 46 [2009]: 50–61). In it he applies literary-critical analysis to several Neo-Assyrian prophetic oracles which make allusion to a specific set of standard texts, namely Adapa and the South Wind, Atrahasis, and the Gilgamesh Epic. Dr. Halton ultimately seeks to raise appreciation for the literary abilities of the Neo-Assyrian prophets, but the article also bears on the literary criticism of the Bible. I hope no one minds if I comment briefly on this relationship. [...]
Comment by Alan Lenzi
Made Wednesday, 2 of September , 2009 at 6:41 pm
No one plows quickly through Fishbane’s opus. You need a week to ten days of full time reading to read that book right.
