Includes bibliographical references / Pages not numbered / Music has formed a part of human life as far back as demonstrable. Music existed long before musical instruments made their appearance. The examination of textual evidence read in conjunction with the available archaeologic evidence from the time and area clearly demonstrates which musical instruments were available and the instances they were used at. It clearly points to the lyre as the primary proponent of the musical culture of the time with regards to melodic music. This is confirmed from what we learn from the ancient tuning tablets. There thus is a direct demonstrable connection between the instrument and the theory of the time. Work done on the musical elements of the cantillation marks of the Hebrew Bible comfortably fits into this framework and appears to be a direct influence on the manner in which the Psalms were sung and composed. A combination of literary, archaeological and musical sources can thus be used within a literary and historical approach to demonstrate the availability of musical instruments in AIP, the manner in which tonality was recorded and its influence on the development of the Psalms. / Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies / M.A. (Biblical Archaeology)

The thesis of this dissertation is to explore the importance of Hebrew as contained in the Old Testament or Hebrew Canon, for a grasp of the spirituality or spiritualities of the people we encounter in these texts. Furthermore, to gauge the continued and extended importance of this language knowledge as it pertains to contemporary spirituality or spiritualities based upon these scriptures. This will be done with the laity and academia in mind and hence we will study these spiritualities as they pertain both to experience and academic enquiry. We will also explore the possible personal and societal transformation, which could result from such an investigation. In view of this, we will limit our scope to three test psalms all from Book I of the Psalter; and our assessment of the importance of Hebrew for Biblical Spirituality will be based on only three key areas, namely language, exegesis and continued meaning. / Christian Spirituality / M. Th. (Christian Spirituality)

Cette étude concerne les bas-reliefs rupestres des montagnes du Kurdistan irakien, notamment ceux découverts dans les trois provinces de Dohuk, Erbil et Sulaymaniyeh.Les bas-reliefs sont une source importante de données sur les sociétés du Proche-Orient ancien. Ils sont des témoignages d’idéologies, de croyances, de cérémonies et de rituels anciens. Nous avons pris en compte une large période depuis le début de l’âge du Bronze jusqu’au 3e siècle après J.-C. Cela concerne un corpus d’étude de 132 objets dont 43 bas-reliefs du Kurdistan irakien. Les bas-reliefs étaient aussi un moyen de satisfaire le désir d'immortalité des gouvernants ; une partie de ces bas-reliefs représentent une iconographie royale avec des scènes de guerre et de victoire sur les ennemis, de couronnement royal, la mise en place des projets d’irrigation, d’autres concernent des événements religieux.L’analyse des bas-reliefs a été effectuée à partir d’observations réalisées sur le terrain et l’étude de la bibliographie existante afin de mieux connaître les causes de leur création. Nous disposons de mesures précises, de photos et de schémas de ces bas-reliefs, élaborés de façon exhaustive et similaire, ce qui permet ensuite de les comparer avec d'autres vestiges archéologiques bien datés. Nous les avons traité sur les plans technique et artistique, en étudiant l’iconographie, les décors, les personnages, les vêtements, les armes et les symboles divins que l’on retrouve sur ces œuvres. Cette analyse détaillée des éléments figurés et des scènes de ces reliefs est très utile pour connaitre leur contexte historique qui étaient encore mal connues, en raison du grand nombre d’avis contradictoires émis par les précédents chercheurs.Nous retraçons à travers ces bas-reliefs une fresque de l’histoire du Kurdistan irakien qui va de 3000 avant J.-C à 300 ans après J.-C. / This study concerns the rock reliefs of the mountains of the Kurdistan (Iraq), including those discovered in three provinces of Dohuk, Erbil and Sulaymaniyeh.The reliefs are an important source of data concerning the societies of the Ancient Near East. They have been used as evidence of former ideologies, beliefs, ceremonies and rituals. We have taken in account a large period from the early Bronze Age until the 3rd century after AD. This concerns a corpus of study including 132 objects which 43 low-reliefs found in the Iraqi Kurdistan. The reliefs were also a way to satisfy the desire for immortality of previous rulers; some of these reliefs represent a royal iconography with scenes of war and victory on the enemies, royal coronation, the implementation of projects of irrigation; others relate to religious events.The analysis of the low-reliefs was conducted from observations of the field and by the study of the previous bibliography to have a better knowledge of the causes of their creations. We have a description of these reliefs with accurate measurements, photos, and drawing, done with exhaustive and similar methods, which then allows them to compare with other well dated archaeological evidence. Then we have dealed with these reliefs on technical and artistic level, by studying their iconography, the decors, the characters, the clothes, the weapons and the divine symbols found on these works. This detailed analysis of the figuredelements and sceneries of these reliefs is very useful to know their historic context that were still not wellknown, because of the large number of conflicting opinions from the previous researchers.We track through these low-reliefs a fresco of the Iraqi Kurdistan history that goes from 3000 BC to 300 years after AD.

This thesis aims to map non-Semitic influences in the religion and culture of the Late Bronze Age Syria. During the Late Bronze Age, Syria was divided into many local kingdoms which were most of the time subdued to the great empires of the ancient Near East (Mitanni and Ḫatti) and Egypt. Influences from these cultural areas are the most noticeable. Trade across the Mediterranean brought many cultural influences, too. These are mostly observable in art. The thesis is centred around case studies from Ugarit, Amurru, Byblos, Karkemiš, Alalaḫ, Ḫalāb, Emar, Tunip and Qaṭna. Each case study shows peculiarities of individual sites and different modes of cultural transfer. The data are set into a broader anthropological perspective and some general conclusions are made about the process of culture transfer and about conceptions of foreignnessin theculturesof theancientNearEastand Egypt.Abroadertheoryof cultureasa system of concepts is outlined and the material is interpreted in its light. Key words Foreigners, foreignness, culture transfer, religion, Late Bronze Age, ancient Syria, ancient Near East, Egypt, Ḫatti, Mitanni, Hittites, Hurrians, Egyptians, Ugarit, Amurru, Byblos, Karkemiš, Alalaḫ, Ḫalāb, Emar, Tunip, Qaṭna.

The presented master's thesis deals with the Epic of Zimrī-Lîm, a text from the ancient city of Mari from the beginning of the 18th century BC. The text of the epic is included in transliteration (based on the edition by Michaël Guichard from 2014) and in English translation. The epic has also been published online as the first entry of NERE (Near Eastern Royal Epics) project on ORACC (Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus). In addition to the text itself, the thesis includes a broader historical-cultural commentary. There, selected elements of the ancient text are portraited as well-set within the lived cultural-political environment of the ancient Near East, with particular attention to the time of Zimrī-Lîm. Most of the space is devoted to the religious aspect of the work, especially the role of the deities. Last but not least, the composition is discussed within the context of other royal epics of the ancient Near East. Key Words Zimrī-Lîm, Mari, TellHariri, epic, royal epics, Akkadian literature, narrative, royal ideology, religion, ancient Syria, ancient Mesopotamia, ancient Near East, Middle Bronze Age

Historiquement et jusqu’à aujourd’hui, la Bible a été utilisée afin de justifier une homophobie, soit-elle religieuse ou laïque. Les passages de prédilection employés à cet effet sont le récit de Sodome et de Gomorrhe en Genèse (Gn) 19 et les interdits du Lévitique (Lv) en 18,22 et 20,13. Depuis au moins les travaux de Derrick Sherwin Bailey (1955), le récit de Genèse 19 est souvent interprété à travers le prisme du thème de l'inhospitalité au sein des traditions chrétiennes, plutôt qu’un interdit spécifique de l'homosexualité. En revanche, les extraits du Lévitique, en tant que textes de loi, présentaient un autre type d'autorité et ont eu droit à une réception distincte. Ainsi, selon une approche historique maximaliste, il serait considéré comme historiquement illégal pour un homme d'avoir des rapports sexuels avec un autre homme, sous peine de mort. Dans le cadre de ce mémoire, je propose d'explorer Lv 18,22; 20,13 et ses interprétations contemporaines, à partir d'une analyse exégétique et d’une excursion comparatiste en histoire des religions. En somme, quelles lectures pouvons-nous faire du Lévitique 18,22 et 20,13 concernant les relations sexuelles entre hommes à la lumière du contexte sociohistorique du Proche-Orient ancien ? / Historically and up to the present day, the Bible has been used to justify homophobia, whether religious or secular. The preferred passages employed for this purpose are the account of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis (Gen) 19 and the prohibitions in Leviticus (Lev) 18:22 and 20:13. Since at least the works of Derrick Sherwin Bailey (1955), the narrative of Genesis 19 has often been interpreted through the lens of the theme of inhospitality within Christian traditions, rather than as a specific prohibition of homosexuality. On the other hand, the Leviticus verses, as legal texts, held a different type of authority and received distinct reception. Thus, according to a maximalist historical approach, it would be considered historically illegal for a man to engage in sexual relations with another man, punishable by death. In the scope of this paper, I propose to explore Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 and their contemporary interpretations through exegesis and a comparative excursion into the history of religions. Ultimately, what interpretations can we derive from Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 regarding sexual relations between men in light of the sociohistorical context of the ancient Near East?

Die Bybel is die boek wat die meeste gelees word en tog is dit moeilik om die leefwêreld van daardie era te verstaan. My doel is om ’n nuwe blik te gee op ’n paar Ou-Testamentiese simbole. Die ontdekking van ivoorobjekte in die middel negentiende eeu in Nimrud se paleise het tot groot opwinding gelei, aangesien dit met die literatuur ooreenstem. Die ivoorstukke het ’n “verhaal” kom vertel. Deur die streke se kuns te bestudeer kan ons ’n prentjie vorm van die kuns wat in die Ystertydperk in Mesopotamië en Palestina se paleise en welaf huise voorgekom het. Die ikonografie word ontrafel deur ’n paar ivoorstukke te “lees.” Ikonografie is die beskrywing en verklaring van beelde wat op bepaalde onderwerpe betrekking het. Sekere beelde kom herhaaldelik voor in Mesopotamië. In dié studie word hoofsaaklik die Gevleuelde Wesens, die Boom van Lewe, die Gevleuelde Sonskyf asook Rosette beskryf. / The Bible is widely read but it is difficult to understand the world and culture of the era that it is set in. It is my aim to provide new insight into a few Old Testament verses with their symbolic meaning. When ivory was discovered at Nimrud the discovery elicited huge excitement. The ivory pieces came to tell a story. Through studying the art of the different cultures a picture begins to appear of the palaces and homes of the wealthy in the Levant. The iconography could be “read.” Iconography is the science of interpreting the message the art wants to convey to the viewer. A few images are repeatedly showing up in the Levant during the Iron Age. In this study I am focusing mainly on The Tree of Life, the Winged Disc, the Rosette and Winged Spiritual Beings. I am attempting to discern the meaning behind these images. / Biblical & Ancient Studies / M.A. (Ou Nabye-Oosterse Studies)

Die Bybel is die boek wat die meeste gelees word en tog is dit moeilik om die leefwêreld van daardie era te verstaan. My doel is om ’n nuwe blik te gee op ’n paar Ou-Testamentiese simbole. Die ontdekking van ivoorobjekte in die middel negentiende eeu in Nimrud se paleise het tot groot opwinding gelei, aangesien dit met die literatuur ooreenstem. Die ivoorstukke het ’n “verhaal” kom vertel. Deur die streke se kuns te bestudeer kan ons ’n prentjie vorm van die kuns wat in die Ystertydperk in Mesopotamië en Palestina se paleise en welaf huise voorgekom het. Die ikonografie word ontrafel deur ’n paar ivoorstukke te “lees.” Ikonografie is die beskrywing en verklaring van beelde wat op bepaalde onderwerpe betrekking het. Sekere beelde kom herhaaldelik voor in Mesopotamië. In dié studie word hoofsaaklik die Gevleuelde Wesens, die Boom van Lewe, die Gevleuelde Sonskyf asook Rosette beskryf. / The Bible is widely read but it is difficult to understand the world and culture of the era that it is set in. It is my aim to provide new insight into a few Old Testament verses with their symbolic meaning. When ivory was discovered at Nimrud the discovery elicited huge excitement. The ivory pieces came to tell a story. Through studying the art of the different cultures a picture begins to appear of the palaces and homes of the wealthy in the Levant. The iconography could be “read.” Iconography is the science of interpreting the message the art wants to convey to the viewer. A few images are repeatedly showing up in the Levant during the Iron Age. In this study I am focusing mainly on The Tree of Life, the Winged Disc, the Rosette and Winged Spiritual Beings. I am attempting to discern the meaning behind these images. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / M.A. (Ou Nabye-Oosterse Studies)

The archaeology of the region, referred to in scholarly lexicon as the Ancient Near East, is richly endowed with artefacts and monumental architecture of ancient cultures. Such artefacts, as a non-renewable resource are, therefore considered to be a scarce commodity. So also is the context and the provenance of these objects. Once an object’s provenance has been disturbed, it is of no further significant use for academic research, except for aesthetic value. Historically, as well as in the present, we see that humans have exploited this resource for various reasons, with very little regard given to provenance. The impact of forgery, illicit trade and looting are the greatest threat to the value of provenance. Contrary to some arguments, collectors, curators, buyers, looters and certain scholars play a significant role in its destruction. This research reveals to what extent unknown provenance has become a disturbing problem in the study of archaeological artefacts. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / M.Th. (Biblical Archaeology)

Bibliography: leaves 441-459 / The shepherd metaphor is a prominent and significant one in the Old Testament. However, it has shifted from an agrarian context, of shepherd and sheep in the literal sense, to a socio-political context, of rulers and people in the political sense: a king is a shepherd to the people. A careful review of the given metaphor raises the question whether the metaphor should be the basis of the pastoral and leadership models that are derived from the image of the shepherd, and whether such models can be enriched by the analysis of the said metaphor as applied to the implementation of the shepherding responsibility described in the Old Testament. This research aims to examine various pastoral and leadership models and their use of the shepherd metaphor in the light of the significance of the said metaphor in the Old Testament. It utilises rhetorical criticism in consultation with metaphorical theory to examine the given metaphor used in the models of pastoral and leadership roles and their relationship with the shepherd metaphor in the New Testament. The objective is threefold: (1) exploring the use of the shepherd metaphor in the Old Testament; (2) examining the use of the shepherd metaphor in pastoral and leadership models, which could include pointing out that some of these models rely heavily on their understanding of New Testament uses of this metaphor; and (3) comparing the Old Testament and pastoral/leadership models’ uses of the shepherd metaphor and drawing conclusions based on this comparison. To achieve that end, the discussion also includes the ancient Near Eastern literature and deuterocanonical texts. The thesis shows that a careful analysis of the uses of the shepherd metaphor in the Old Testament could enrich the literature on Christian leadership as well as pastoral models that use this metaphor as their point of departure. / Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies / D. Phil. (Old Testament)