{"id":1321,"date":"2015-01-09T06:30:49","date_gmt":"2015-01-09T11:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/?page_id=1321"},"modified":"2015-01-09T06:30:49","modified_gmt":"2015-01-09T11:30:49","slug":"course-syllabus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/course-materials\/rels-40005000-early-mythologies-of-evil\/course-syllabus\/","title":{"rendered":"Course Syllabus"},"content":{"rendered":"

RELS 4000\/5000
\nEarly Mythologies of Evil
\nF 11:00-1:45
\nDr. John C. Reeves
\n204B Macy
\nOffice hours: W 2:30-3:30; F 2:00-3:00; or by appointment
\njcreeves@uncc.edu<\/a>
\nhttp:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Course description<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This course provides an opportunity for us to study and think about a select number of influential myths embedded within ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern religions which address the genesis, proliferation, and distribution of malicious entities and practices in human society.\u00a0 What exactly does the category \u2018evil\u2019 encompass?\u00a0 Who, what, and\/or where is \u2018evil\u2019?\u00a0 Was there a place where or a time when \u2018evil\u2019 did not exist?\u00a0 If so, who or what is responsible for its appearance among us?\u00a0 What kind of work does it \u2018do\u2019?\u00a0 Can we protect ourselves against it?\u00a0 After some initial orientation, the bulk of the course will concentrate upon a close reading and analysis of a variety of literary remains, including (but not necessarily limited to) portions of Bible, the Dead Sea scrolls, apocryphal writings and apocalypses, reports from Christian church fathers, Qur\u2019\u0101n, and later Jewish, Christian, and Muslim esoterica.<\/p>\n

Warning<\/em>: In this class you may hear or read ideas which will disturb, shock, dismay, or outrage you, and you will be compelled to think using methodological paradigms which you may deem troubling, wrong-headed, blasphemous, or even sacrilegious.\u00a0 If you think you might be uncomfortable in this situation, then this is definitely not the class for you.\u00a0 On the other hand, if you think you can suspend your uncritical attachments to certain notions about scriptures, their meaning, and the circumstances surrounding their production, then you will undoubtedly learn a great deal about the historical and cultural matrices betwixt which Judaism, Christianity, and Islam arose and flourished.<\/p>\n

Texts<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The following textbooks are required<\/strong> for this course:<\/p>\n

Stephanie Dalley, Myths from Mesopotamia<\/em> (rev. ed.; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000).<\/p>\n

Neil Forsyth, The Old Enemy: Satan and the Combat Myth<\/em> (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1987).<\/p>\n

Absent your capacity to work directly with the received texts, any responsible western language translations of Bible (including the so-called Apocrypha) and Qur\u2019\u0101n.\u00a0 Web links to the KJV and RSV English versions of Bible are available on the course website, as well as links to the standard Arabic text of the Qur\u2019\u0101n and the English translations of Shakir, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, and Pickthall.<\/p>\n

Supplementary readings will be assigned and\/or distributed by the instructor as needed.<\/p>\n

Course requirements<\/strong><\/h3>\n

a. Readings<\/em>. The nature of this course entails a significant amount of close reading and reflection. Students are responsible for anticipating and completing the reading assignments (outlined in summary fashion below) in a timely manner.\u00a0 Every student is expected to read and critically expound the Forsyth volume mentioned above in its entirety.<\/p>\n

b. Seminar presentations\/papers<\/em>. At almost every class meeting, an individual student will be responsible for leading the first half of our collective discussion of that week\u2019s assignment. Students should use the template found later in this syllabus as a rough guide for their presentations and papers.\u00a0 All students (including the discussion leader) will prepare and submit to the instructor by the beginning of class a written summary and brief analysis (maximum length of five [5] typewritten or electronically printed pages) of that week\u2019s reading assignment.\u00a0 The instructor\u2019s evaluation of the student\u2019s collective written exercise performance (based on the scale \u221a+ = A; \u221a = B-; \u221a- = D for undergrads; C for grads) will comprise 40% of the course grade.<\/p>\n

c. Research project<\/em>. One (1) formal research project to be presented in oral and written form (at least 15 double-spaced pages, exclusive of notes and list of sources) that focuses upon a particular topic relevant to or which interacts with the mythological or ritual dimensions of evil as explored in this class. After a close reading of primary and secondary sources and in consultation with the instructor, the student should select a topic of individual interest that permits such an extended exposition, analysis, and\/or evaluation.\u00a0 The project will be presented orally (approximately 15 minutes) during the final class meeting (Friday, April 24); the formal written version of the papers must be submitted to the instructor by 12:00 PM one week later on Friday, May 1.\u00a0 The research project accounts for 40% of the course grade.<\/p>\n

d. Individual involvement<\/em>. Almost perfect attendance (see below) is an essential requirement for this course. Each class meeting builds upon the knowledge gained during previous meetings.\u00a0 Moreover, in-class discussion, close reading, and analysis by both the instructor and class members comprises a significant portion of every class meeting.\u00a0 Preparation for every class usually involves the completion of a series of assigned readings and\/or written assignment(s), and individual students initiate our collective examination and discussion of the weekly topics.\u00a0 Students are expected to contribute in an informed manner to the public analysis and discussion of any assigned topic, and the instructor reserves the right to administer occasional unannounced \u2018pop-quizzes\u2019 should he deem the situation so warrants.\u00a0 The instructor\u2019s assessment of one\u2019s attendance, apparent class preparation, presentations, informed oral contributions, and any pop-quiz scores will constitute 20% of the final course grade.<\/p>\n

e. Zakhor<\/em> (Remember!): Mastery of the assigned readings and diligent class attendance are necessary prerequisites for the successful completion of this course. Each student is responsible for all lectures, class discussions, assignments, and announcements, whether or not he\/she is present when they occur.<\/p>\n

Miscellaneous information<\/strong><\/h3>\n

a. The grading scale used in this course is as follows:<\/p>\n

91-95+ A = demonstrable mastery of material\u2014outstanding performance<\/p>\n

81-90 B = some demonstrable proficiency in control & analysis<\/p>\n

71-80 C = satisfactory performance of assignments<\/p>\n

61-70 D = inadequate and\/or faulty understanding of material<\/p>\n

0-70 F = unacceptable college-level work<\/p>\n

Graduate students are graded using a scale of A, B, C, and U. A grade of \u2018C\u2019 for a graduate student is equivalent to that of a \u2018D\u2019 for undergraduates; \u2018U\u2019 signals unacceptable graduate-level work.<\/p>\n

b. One of the requirements of this course is to complete the work of the course on time. Sometimes there are legitimate reasons for late work\u2014an illness or other emergency. \u2018Emergency,\u2019 however, does not include your social involvements, travel plans, job schedule, disk and\/or printer failures, the state of your love life, your obligations to other courses, or general malaise over the state of the world.\u00a0 The world has been in a mess as long as anyone can remember, and most of the world\u2019s work is done by people whose lives are a mass of futility and discontent.\u00a0 If you haven\u2019t learned yet, you had better learn now to work under the conditions of the world as it is. Therefore:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1) All missing work is averaged as a 0 in the computation of the course grade.<\/p>\n

2) All written work falls due on the dates scheduled in the syllabus, or on the date announced by the instructor in class (usually the next class meeting).\u00a0 \u2018Late\u2019 work will not be accepted from those who were privy to its oral evaluation and discussion (i.e., you were present while we \u2018went over it\u2019 but you neglected to do it beforehand).\u00a0 In the event of one\u2019s absence, \u2018late\u2019 submissions bear the following penalties: one day late\/one letter grade; two days late\/two letter grades; three or more days late\/U.\u00a0 Please note: these \u2018days\u2019 are calendar days, not class meeting days.\u00a0 For accounting purposes, letter grades bear the following values: A=95; A-=92; B+=88; B=85; B-=82; C+=78; C=75; C-=72; D=65; F\/U=35.\u00a0 Untyped exercises, seminar papers, or research projects automatically receives the grade F\/U, as do those typed submissions which violate the required parameters or which the instructor deems physically or grammatically substandard.<\/p>\n

3) Since your diligent physical participation is critical for the success of this course, attendance at class meetings will be monitored by the instructor.\u00a0 One absence is regrettable; two absences are the limit of tolerability.\u00a0 Three (3) or more absences will result in an automatic F\/U for the course<\/span>.\u00a0 Please note that\u2014with the exception of religious holidays\u2014the instructor does not distinguish \u2018excused\u2019 from \u2018unexcused\u2019 absences.\u00a0 Unsanctioned late arrivals and early departures will be tallied as absences.<\/p>\n

4) Policy regarding Audits<\/span>: the instructor expects auditors (whether formally enrolled as such or not) to meet the same attendance, preparation, and oral participation standards as those students who are taking the course for credit.\u00a0 The instructor does not expect auditors to prepare and submit any written assignments.<\/p>\n

c. Assistance and solicitation of criticism is your right as a member of the class. It is not a privilege to be granted or withheld. Do not hesitate to request it nor wait too late in the course for it to be of help.<\/p>\n

ROUGH COURSE OUTLINE<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Jan 9
\nIntroduction & case study: Jacob of Edessa on Genesis 6:1-4<\/p>\n

Jan 16
\nRequired:<\/strong>
\nForsyth, 19-66; 441-55.
\nDalley, 39-153 (Gilgamesh).<\/p>\n

Jan 23
\nRequired:<\/strong>
\nForsyth, 67-104.
\nDalley, 228-77 (Epic of Creation).<\/p>\n

Jan 30
\nRequired:<\/strong>
\nForsyth, 107-46.
\nSatan\/Azazel file.<\/p>\n

Feb 6
\nRequired:<\/strong>
\nForsyth, 147-81.
\nLair of Azazel.<\/p>\n

Feb 13
\nNo class (instructor absent)<\/p>\n

Feb 20
\nRequired:<\/strong>
\nForsyth, 182-218.
\nDemonology (1).<\/p>\n

Feb 27
\nRequired:<\/strong>
\nForsyth, 221-57.
\nDemonology (2).<\/p>\n

March 6
\nNo class (spring break)<\/p>\n

March 13
\nRequired:<\/strong>
\nForsyth, 258-306.
\nCartography of Good and Evil (1).<\/p>\n

March 20
\nRequired:<\/strong>
\nForsyth, 309-48.
\nCartography of Good and Evil (2).<\/p>\n

March 27
\nRequired:<\/strong>
\nForsyth, 349-83.
\nMesopotamian magical bowls.<\/p>\n

April 3
\nNo class (Pesa\u1e25\/Easter)<\/p>\n

Apr 10
\nRequired:<\/strong>
\nForsyth, 387-408.
\nA manuscript grimoire for invoking and harnessing demons.<\/p>\n

Apr 17
\nRequired:<\/strong>
\nForsyth, 409-40.
\nMiscellaneous myths and rituals.<\/p>\n

Apr 24
\nFinal student presentations<\/p>\n

TEMPLATE FOR WEEKLY DISCUSSION LEADERS<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Discussion leaders can use the following template as a rough guideline for their seminar presentations:<\/p>\n

1. Begin promptly.<\/p>\n

2. Call on the instructor for announcements.<\/p>\n

3. Present to the class an initial consideration of the assigned topic. Summarize (but do not evaluate yet!) your section\u2019s main arguments and points. Certain key primary texts (e.g., myths; scriptures; descriptions by travelers or observers) may need to be identified and analyzed in view of their importance for the larger argument(s).\u00a0 I would suggest spending no more than thirty to forty minutes on this.<\/p>\n

4. Open the floor for questions and discussion:<\/p>\n

Plan A<\/em>. Invite discussion of any issue of interest.<\/p>\n

Plan B<\/em>. Raise an important issue which you have seen in the text(s) and invite response (now<\/em> you can evaluate!).<\/p>\n

Plan C<\/em>. Elicit comment on how the text(s) relate to points made in earlier classes and\/or other passages from required or supplementary readings.<\/p>\n

Plan D<\/em>. Ask a series of pointed questions designed to provoke a response.<\/p>\n

Be prepared to put Plans B-D<\/em> into operation if Plan A<\/em> falters.<\/p>\n

5. Conclude by pointing to one or two aspects of the discussion that you consider to have been particularly valuable or productive for further work and consideration.<\/p>\n

Each seminar paper will have a similar structure.\u00a0 You will first concisely summarize and highlight the primary points or arguments of the reading assigned from Forsyth for each week\u2019s meeting.\u00a0 Then you will (1) identify and briefly assess the implications of his points, arguments, etc. for the way \u2018evil\u2019 appears to be envisioned within those texts which he discusses, and\/or (2) discuss how the primary source readings we will read over the course of the semester (myths, rituals, incantations, prayers, etc.) lend support to or undermine his points, arguments, etc.\u00a0 The papers should be no longer than five (5) typed pages (single-spaced is fine) and fall due by the beginning of each class (beginning January 16) that is dedicated to the explication of Forsyth\u2019s book.<\/p>\n

SUPPLEMENTAL BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR RELS 4000\/5000<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In response to student requests for recommendations regarding useful and enlightening discussions of certain topics, themes, and characters that are presented in class and\/or readings, I offer the following suggestions for further study at the student\u2019s leisure.\u00a0 I confine myself to materials which I myself have used with profit and which are currently available at Atkins Library.<\/p>\n

It is often helpful for the student to begin with appropriate articles in the general encyclopaedias devoted to religious studies. At present, the standard one is The Encyclopaedia of Religion<\/em>, 16 vols. (ed. Mircea Eliade; New York: Macmillan, 1988). Older but by no means less useful is Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics<\/em>, 12 vols. (ed. James Hastings; Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1908-21). There exist more specific encyclopaedias and\/or dictionaries of mythology, myth, etc. which may or may not be shelved in the reference area, but I find them to be of limited value.\u00a0 With regard to Bible and biblical studies, the best reference encyclopaedia is The Anchor Bible Dictionary<\/em> (6 vols.; New York: Doubleday, 1992).\u00a0 Also reliable but now somewhat dated are The Interpreters\u2019 Dictionary of the Bible<\/em> (4 vols.) and its Supplementary Volume<\/em> (ed. George A. Buttrick; Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1962 & 1976), and the Harper\u2019s Bible Dictionary<\/em> (ed. Paul J. Achtemeier; San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985).\u00a0 A new edition of The Interpreters\u2019 Dictionary<\/em> is currently in preparation.\u00a0 Highly recommended are the relevant articles in the new Encyclopaedia Judaica<\/em> (22 vols.; Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA\/Thomson Gale, 2007): this source can be accessed electronically through the Atkins catalog.\u00a0 Regrettably Atkins does not own the important Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible<\/em> (2d rev. ed.; ed. Karel van der Toorn, Bob Becking, and Pieter van der Horst; Leiden: Brill, 1999).<\/p>\n

Web resources for ancient Near Eastern studies have mushroomed during the past two decades or so, particularly with regard to the digitalization of texts (both primary and secondary) and images.\u00a0 The best entry point is www.etana.org<\/a>.\u00a0 It features electronic editions of important reference tools and a portal to Abzu, a massive bibliographic database of web-based resources devoted to ancient history and cultures.<\/p>\n

General Studies and Collections<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Henri Frankfort, Kingship and the Gods: A Study of Ancient Near Eastern Religion as the Integration of Society and Nature<\/em> (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1948).<\/p>\n

Theodore H. Gaster, The Oldest Stories in the World<\/em> (New York: Viking Press, 1952).\u00a0 Presents a selection of Babylonian, Hittite, and Canaanite myths.<\/p>\n

S. H. Hooke, Middle Eastern Mythology<\/em> (Baltimore: Penguin, 1963).<\/p>\n

Wayne Horowitz, Mesopotamian Cosmic Geography<\/em> (Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1998).<\/p>\n

Samuel Noah Kramer (ed.), Mythologies of the Ancient World<\/em> (Garden City: Doubleday, 1961).<\/p>\n

Henrietta McCall, Mesopotamian Myths<\/em> (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1990).<\/p>\n

James B. Pritchard, ed., Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament<\/em> (3d ed.; Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969).\u00a0 This has long been the standard English-language collection of representative samples of ancient Near Eastern literature.<\/p>\n

Jack M. Sasson, ed., Civilizations of the Ancient Near East<\/em> (4 vols.; New York: Scribner\u2019s, 1995).<\/p>\n

Sumer<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Jeremy Black, Reading Sumerian Poetry<\/em> (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1998).<\/p>\n

H. E. W. Crawford, Sumer<\/em> and the Sumerians<\/em> (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991).<\/p>\n

Thorkild Jacobsen, The Harps That Once …: Sumerian Poetry in Translation<\/em> (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1987).<\/p>\n

Samuel Noah Kramer, In the World of Sumer: An Autobiography<\/em> (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1986).\u00a0 Recounts his labors in almost single-handedly recovering the literature of Sumer.<\/p>\n

______, Sumerian Mythology<\/em> (rev. ed.; New York: Harper, 1961).<\/p>\n

______, The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character<\/em> (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1963).<\/p>\n

Samuel Noah Kramer & John Maier, Myths of Enki, the Crafty God<\/em> (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989).<\/p>\n

The Literature of Ancient Sumer<\/em> (trans. Jeremy Black, et al.; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004).<\/p>\n

Diane Wolkstein & Samuel Noah Kramer, Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth<\/em> (New York: Harper & Row, 1983).<\/p>\n

Babylonia<\/strong> and Assyria<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Jean Bott\u00e9ro, Mesopotamia: Writing, Reasoning, and the Gods<\/em> (trans. Zainab Bahrani and Marc Van De Mieroop; Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992).<\/p>\n

______, Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia<\/em> (trans. Teresa Lavender Fagan; Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001).<\/p>\n

Stephanie Dalley, ed., The Legacy of Mesopotamia<\/em> (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1998).<\/p>\n

Benjamin R. Foster, Before the Muses: An Anthology of Akkadian Literature<\/em> (2 vols.; Potomac, Md.: CDL Press, 1996).<\/p>\n

A. R. George, The Babylonian Gilgamesh Epic: Introduction, Critical Edition, and Cuneiform Texts<\/em> (2 vols.; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003).<\/p>\n

Alexander Heidel, The Babylonian Genesis<\/em> (2d ed.; Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1963).<\/p>\n

______, The Gilgamesh Epic and Old Testament Parallels<\/em> (2d ed.; Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1949).<\/p>\n

S. H. Hooke, Babylonian and Assyrian Religion<\/em> (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1963).<\/p>\n

Thorkild Jacobsen, The Treasures of Darkness: A History of Mesopotamian Religion<\/em> (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1976).<\/p>\n

A. Leo Oppenheim, Ancient Mesopotamia: Portrait of a Dead Civilization<\/em> (rev. ed.; Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1977).<\/p>\n

H. W. F. Saggs, The Greatness That Was Babylon<\/em> (New York: Hawthorn, 1962).<\/p>\n

______, The Might That Was Assyria<\/em> (London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1984).<\/p>\n

______, Babylonians<\/em> (Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, 1995).<\/p>\n

Jeffrey H. Tigay, The Evolution of the Gilgamesh Epic<\/em> (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1982).<\/p>\n

Canaan<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Alan M. Cooper, \u201cCanaanite Religion (Overview),\u201d in Encyclopedia of Religion<\/em> (ed. Mircea Eliade, et al.; 15 vols.; New York: Macmillan, 1987), 3:35-44.<\/p>\n

Michael David Coogan, \u201cCanaanite Religion (The Literature),\u201d in Encyclopedia of Religion<\/em> (ed. Mircea Eliade, et al.; 15 vols.; New York: Macmillan, 1987), 3:45-57.<\/p>\n

P. C. Craigie, Ugarit and the Old Testament<\/em> (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1983).<\/p>\n

Loren R. Fisher, ed., Ras Shamra Parallels: The Texts from Ugarit and the Hebrew Bible<\/em> (3 vols.; Rome: Pontificium institutum biblicum, 1972-\u00a0 ).<\/p>\n

Theodor H. Gaster, Thespis: Ritual, Myth and Drama in the Ancient Near East<\/em> (New York: Henry Schuman, 1950).<\/p>\n

J. C. L. Gibson, Canaanite Myths and Legends<\/em> (2d ed.; Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1978).<\/p>\n

John Gray, The Canaanites<\/em> (London: Thames and Hudson, 1964).<\/p>\n

______, The Legacy of Canaan: The Ras Shamra Texts and Their Relevance to the Old Testament<\/em> (2d rev. ed.; Leiden: Brill, 1965).<\/p>\n

Cyrus H. Gordon, Ugarit<\/em> and Minoan Crete<\/em> (New York: Norton, 1966).<\/p>\n

______, Ugaritic Textbook: Grammar, Texts in Transliteration, Cuneiform Selections, Glossary, Indices<\/em> (repr., 1 vol. In 3 parts; Rome: Pontifical Biblical Institute, 1998).<\/p>\n

William M. Schniedewind, A Primer on Ugaritic: Language, Culture, and Literature<\/em> (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007).<\/p>\n

Jonathan N. Tubb, Canaanites<\/em> (Norman, Okla.: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998).<\/p>\n

Greece<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Oxford Classical Dictionary<\/em> (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1949); 2nd edition (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1970).<\/p>\n

Walter Burkert, Greek Religion<\/em> (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1985).<\/p>\n

______, \u201cThe Logic of Cosmogony,\u201d in From Myth to Reason?\u00a0 Studies in the Development of Greek Thought<\/em> (ed. Richard Buxton; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), 87-106.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cOriental and Greek Mythology: The Meeting of Parallels,\u201d in Interpretations of Greek Mythology<\/em> (ed. Jan Bremmer; Totowa, N.J.: Barnes and Noble Books, 1986), 10-40.<\/p>\n

______, The Orientalizing Revolution: Near Eastern Influence on Greek Culture in the Early Archaic Age<\/em> (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1992).<\/p>\n

______, Savage Energies: Lessons of Myth and Ritual in Ancient Greece<\/em> (trans. Peter Bing; Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2001).<\/p>\n

______, Babylon, Memphis, Persepolis: Eastern Contexts of Greek Culture<\/em> (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2004).<\/p>\n

Richard Buxton, Imaginary Greece: The Contexts of Mythology<\/em> (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994).<\/p>\n

Francis M. Cornford, From Religion to Philosophy<\/em> (repr. New York: Harper, 1957).<\/p>\n

Timothy Gantz, Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources<\/em> (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1993).<\/p>\n

Robert Mondi, \u201cGreek Mythic Thought in the Light of the Near East,\u201d Approaches to Greek Myth<\/em> (ed. Lowell Edmunds; Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990), 141-98.<\/p>\n

Glenn W. Most, \u201cFrom Logos to Mythos,\u201d in From Myth to Reason?\u00a0 Studies in the Development of Greek Thought<\/em> (ed. Richard Buxton; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), 25-47.<\/p>\n

Paul Veyne, Did the Greeks Believe in Their Myths?\u00a0 An Essay on the Constitutive Imagination<\/em> (trans. Paula Wissing; Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988).<\/p>\n

M. L. West, Early Greek Philosophy and the Orient<\/em> (Oxford: Clarendon, 1971).<\/p>\n

______, The East Face of Helicon: West Asiatic Elements in Greek Poetry and Myth<\/em> (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997).<\/p>\n

Bible and Myth<\/strong><\/h4>\n

William F. Albright, Yahweh and the Gods of Canaan: A Historical Analysis of Two Contrasting Faiths<\/em> (New York: Doubleday, 1968).<\/p>\n

Bernard F. Batto, Slaying the Dragon: Mythmaking in the Biblical Tradition<\/em> (Louisville: Westminster\/John Knox, 1992).<\/p>\n

Brevard S. Childs, Myth and Reality in the Old Testament<\/em> (London: SCM Press, 1960).<\/p>\n

Richard J. Clifford, Creation Accounts in the Ancient Near East and in the Bible<\/em> (Washington, D.C.: Catholic Biblical Association, 1994).<\/p>\n

John Day, God\u2019s Conflict With the Dragon and the Sea: Echoes of a Canaanite Myth in the Old Testament<\/em> (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985).<\/p>\n

Michael Fishbane, Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking<\/em> (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003).<\/p>\n

James G. Frazer, Folk-lore in the Old Testament<\/em> (3 vols.; London: Macmillan and Co., 1919).<\/p>\n

Tikva Frymer-Kensky, In the Wake of the Goddesses: Women, Culture, and the Biblical Transformation of Pagan Myth<\/em> (New York: The Free Press, 1992).<\/p>\n

Theodore H. Gaster, Myth, Legend, and Custom in the Old Testament<\/em> (New York: Harper & Row, 1969).\u00a0 Updates yet does not supplant the classic study of Frazer.<\/p>\n

Ignaz Goldziher, Mythology Among the Hebrews and its Historical Development<\/em> (London, 1877; repr., New York: Cooper Square, 1967).<\/p>\n

Robert Graves and Raphael Patai, Hebrew Myths<\/em> (New York: Doubleday, 1964).\u00a0 *Warning\u2014to be used with great caution.<\/p>\n

Jonas C. Greenfield, \u201cThe Hebrew Bible and Canaanite Literature,\u201d in The Literary Guide to the Bible<\/em> (ed. Robert Alter and Frank Kermode; Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1987), 545-60.<\/p>\n

Judith M. Hadley, The Cult of Asherah in Ancient Israel and Judah: Evidence for a Hebrew Goddess<\/em> (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000).<\/p>\n

Robert A. Oden, \u201cInterpreting Biblical Myths,\u201d in his The Bible Without Theology: The Theological Tradition and Alternatives to It<\/em> (San Francisco, 1987; repr., Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2000), 40-91.<\/p>\n

Raphael Patai, The Hebrew Goddess<\/em> (3d ed.; Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1990).<\/p>\n

______, Man and Temple in Ancient Jewish Myth and Ritual<\/em> (2d ed.; New York: Ktav, 1967).<\/p>\n

______, Robert Graves and the Hebrew Myths: A Collaboration<\/em> (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1992).<\/p>\n

John W. Rogerson, Myth in Old Testament Interpretation<\/em> (BZAW 134; Berlin and New York: Walter de Gruyter, 1974).<\/p>\n

Mark S. Smith, The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel<\/em> (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1990).<\/p>\n

______, The Origins of Biblical Monotheism: Israel\u2019s Polytheistic Background and the Ugaritic Texts<\/em> (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2001).<\/p>\n

Nick Wyatt, Myths of Power: A Study of Royal Myth and Ideology in Ugaritic and Biblical Tradition<\/em> (M\u00fcnster: Ugarit-Verlag, 1996).<\/p>\n

Myth and Folktale Studies<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A. A. Aarne, The Types of the Folktale: A Classification and Bibliography<\/em> (2d revision; Helsinki: Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia, 1961).<\/p>\n

D. L. Ashliman, A Guide to Folktales in the English Language: Based on the Aarne-Thompson Classification System<\/em> (New York: Greenwood Press, 1987).<\/p>\n

Neil Forsyth, \u201cAppendix: Methods and Terms,\u201d in his The Old Enemy: Satan & the Combat Myth<\/em> (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1987), 441-55.<\/p>\n

G. S. Kirk, Myth: Its Meaning and Functions in Ancient and Other Cultures<\/em> (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1970).<\/p>\n

Axel Olrik, Principles for Oral Narrative Research<\/em> (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1992).<\/p>\n

Vladimir Propp, Morphology of the Folktale<\/em> (2d ed., rev.; Austin: University of Texas Press, 1968).<\/p>\n

Robert A. Segal, Theorizing About Myth<\/em> (Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1999).<\/p>\n

______, Myth: A Very Short Introduction<\/em> (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004).<\/p>\n

Stith Thompson, Motif-Index of Folk-Literature: A Classification of Narrative Elements in Folktales, Ballads, Myths, Fables, Mediaeval Romances, Exempla, Fabliaux, Jest-Books, and Local Legends<\/em> (Rev. and enl. ed.; 6 vols.; Copenhagen: Rosenkilde and Bagger, 1955-58).\u00a0 The bible for motif and tale analysis.<\/p>\n

______, The Folktale<\/em> (repr. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1977). See especially the Appendices.<\/p>\n

Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha Resources<\/strong><\/h4>\n

R. H. Charles (ed.), The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament in English<\/em> (2 vols.; Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913).<\/p>\n

James H. Charlesworth (ed.), The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha<\/em> (2 vols.; Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1983-85).<\/p>\n

______, The Pseudepigrapha and Modern Research, With A Supplement<\/em> (Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1981).<\/p>\n

H. F. D. Sparks (ed.), The Apocryphal Old Testament<\/em> (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1984).<\/p>\n

Postbiblical Mythology, Folktales, and Legends<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Micha Joseph bin Gorion, Mimekor Yisrael: Classical Jewish Folktales<\/em> (3 vols.; ed. Emanuel bin Gorion; Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1976).<\/p>\n

S. Daniel Breslauer, ed., The Seductiveness of Jewish Myth: Challenge or Response?<\/em> (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1997).<\/p>\n

Stephanie Dalley, \u201cGilgamesh in the Arabian Nights,\u201d Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society<\/em> (1991): 1-17.<\/p>\n

______, \u201cThe Tale of Buluqiya and the Alexander Romance in Jewish and Sufi Mystical Circles,\u201d in Tracing the Threads: Studies in the Vitality of Jewish Pseudepigrapha<\/em> (ed. John C. Reeves; Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1994), 239-69.<\/p>\n

Louis Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews<\/em> (7 vols.; Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society, 1909-38).\u00a0 The fully annotated version of the popular one-volume Legends of the Bible<\/em>, and a very useful resource for investigating the postbiblical development of biblical characters and events.<\/p>\n

Galit Hasan-Rokem, Tales of the Neighborhood: Jewish Narrative Dialogues in Late Antiquity<\/em> (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003).<\/p>\n

______, Web of Life: Folklore and Midrash in Rabbinic Literature<\/em> (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2000).<\/p>\n

Irving Jacobs, The Midrashic Process: Tradition and Interpretation in Rabbinic Judaism<\/em> (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995).<\/p>\n

Yehuda Liebes, Studies in Jewish Myth and Jewish Messianism<\/em> (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1993).<\/p>\n

Jeffrey L. Rubenstein, \u201cFrom Mythic Motifs to Sustained Myth: The Revision of Rabbinic Traditions in Medieval Midrashim,\u201d Harvard Theological Review<\/em> 89 (1996): 131-59.<\/p>\n

Howard Schwartz, Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism<\/em> (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004).<\/p>\n

Haim Schwarzbaum, \u201cProlegomenon,\u201d in Moses Gaster, The Chronicles of Jerahmeel<\/em> (repr., New York: Ktav Publishing House, 1971) 1-124.\u00a0 A rich bibliographical resource.<\/p>\n

Jaroslav Stetkevych, \u201cThe Arabian Golden Bough and Kindred Branches: Frazer, Vergil, Homer, and Gilgamesh,\u201d in his Muhammad and the Golden Bough: Reconstructing Arabian Myth<\/em> (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1996), 83-105.<\/p>\n

Eli Yassif, The Hebrew Folktale: History, Genre, Meaning<\/em> (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1999).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RELS 4000\/5000 Early Mythologies of Evil F 11:00-1:45 Dr. John C. Reeves 204B Macy Office hours: W 2:30-3:30; F 2:00-3:00; or by appointment jcreeves@uncc.edu http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/ Course description This course provides an opportunity for us to study and think about a select number of influential myths embedded within ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern religions which address […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":454,"featured_media":0,"parent":1317,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1321","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P3kl1F-lj","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/454"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1321"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1322,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1321\/revisions\/1322"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/john-reeves\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}