The Mythic Mind

by Nicolas Wyatt

The Mythic Mind follows the tradition of works which insist on the necessity for a comparative dimension in the study of ancient Israel. The Israelite world-view was essentially a West Semitic world-view in origin, with additional deeply embedded influences from Egypt and Mesopotamia, though it produced its own distinctive character by way of synthesis and reaction. The essays in this volume explore various aspects of this process, historically and cosmologically, commonly challenging received views developed in the treatment of Israel in isolation. The importance of the Ugaritic texts in particular, as reflecting the cultural context in which ancient Israel developed into two symbiotic kingdoms, heirs to a common 'Canaanite' tradition, emerges clearly from such studies as chapter 5: 'Sea and Desert', chapter 7: 'Of Calves and Kings', chapter 9: 'The Significance of Spn' and chapter 10: 'The Vocabulary and Neurology of Orientation.'

Genres: History, Religion

320 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2005

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

N. Wyatt examines the ways the people of the ancient near East viewed their world in a series of well written essays. My favorite was the one entitled “The Mythic Mind,” after which the book is titled. The penultimate essay on water was also excellent.