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Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament with Supplement
This anthology brought together the most important historical, legal, mythological, liturgical, and secular texts of the ancient Near East, with the purpose of providing a rich contextual base for understanding the people, cultures, and literature of the Old Testament. A scholar of religious thought and biblical archaeology, James Pritchard recruited the foremost linguists, historians, and archaeologists to select and translate the texts. The goal, in his words, was "a better understanding of the likenesses and differences which existed between Israel and the surrounding cultures." Before the publication of these volumes, students of the Old Testament found themselves having to search out scattered books and journals in various languages. This anthology brought these invaluable documents together, in one place and in one language, thereby expanding the meaning and significance of the Bible for generations of students and readers. As one reviewer put it, "This great volume is one of the most notable to have appeared in the field of Old Testament scholarship this century."
Princeton published a follow-up companion volume, The Ancient Near East in Pictures Relating to the Old Testament (1954), and later a one-volume abridgment of the two, The Ancient Near An Anthology of Texts and Pictures (1958). The continued popularity of this work in its various forms demonstrates that anthologies have a very important role to play in education--and in the mission of a university press.
Princeton published a follow-up companion volume, The Ancient Near East in Pictures Relating to the Old Testament (1954), and later a one-volume abridgment of the two, The Ancient Near An Anthology of Texts and Pictures (1958). The continued popularity of this work in its various forms demonstrates that anthologies have a very important role to play in education--and in the mission of a university press.
735 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1955
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458 people want to read
About the author
James B. Pritchard
49 books7 followersPritchard's archaeological reputation began to be established by his excavations at a site called el- Jib (1956–1962). He identified it as Gibeon by inscriptions on the handles of wine jars. He cataloged these in Hebrew Inscriptions and Stamps From Gibeon (1959), which included the first in-depth discussion of concentric-circle incisions on jar handles associated with LMLK seals. He explained the significance of his finds for a general audience in Gibeon: Where the Sun Stood Still (1962).
He followed (1964–1967) with excavations at Tell es-Sa’idiyeh, on the east bank in the Jordan Valley, Jordan, which revealed itself as a meeting place for disparate cultures during the transition in the late Bronze Age to the use of iron, which he connected to the influence of the Sea Peoples ("New evidence on the role of the Sea Peoples in Canaan at the Beginning of the Iron Age"), in The Role of the Phoenicians, 1968. His work was cut short by the 1967 Six-Day War.
His third and last major excavation at Sarafand, Lebanon (1969–1974) revealed the ancient Phoenician city of Sarepta. It was the first time a major Phoenician city situated in the Phoenician heartland had been fully excavated. His first findings were published in 1975: he described pottery workshops and kilns, artifacts of daily use and religious figurines, a shrine, numerous inscriptions that included some in Ugaritic, and a seal with the city's name that made the identification secure. His article, "Sarepta in history and tradition" in Understanding the Sacred Texts (1972) displays his characteristic research. His book Recovering Sarepta, an Ancient Phoenician City (1978) was written for general readers.
Additional works included Archaeology and the Old Testament (1958), which traced the evolution of modern approaches to archaeology from the first excavations in the Holy Land; and Solomon and Sheba (1974), which separated fact from legend.
Prior to his tenured appointment to the University of Pennsylvania, Pritchard taught at Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania, 1942–1954, as the chair of Old Testament History and Exegesis. At Crozer, Martin Luther King became the most famous of Pritchard's students. He also taught at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California (1954–1962).
An appreciation of James B. Pritchard appeared in the American Journal of Archaeology, Volume 102, Number 1 (January 1998, pages 175-177).
He followed (1964–1967) with excavations at Tell es-Sa’idiyeh, on the east bank in the Jordan Valley, Jordan, which revealed itself as a meeting place for disparate cultures during the transition in the late Bronze Age to the use of iron, which he connected to the influence of the Sea Peoples ("New evidence on the role of the Sea Peoples in Canaan at the Beginning of the Iron Age"), in The Role of the Phoenicians, 1968. His work was cut short by the 1967 Six-Day War.
His third and last major excavation at Sarafand, Lebanon (1969–1974) revealed the ancient Phoenician city of Sarepta. It was the first time a major Phoenician city situated in the Phoenician heartland had been fully excavated. His first findings were published in 1975: he described pottery workshops and kilns, artifacts of daily use and religious figurines, a shrine, numerous inscriptions that included some in Ugaritic, and a seal with the city's name that made the identification secure. His article, "Sarepta in history and tradition" in Understanding the Sacred Texts (1972) displays his characteristic research. His book Recovering Sarepta, an Ancient Phoenician City (1978) was written for general readers.
Additional works included Archaeology and the Old Testament (1958), which traced the evolution of modern approaches to archaeology from the first excavations in the Holy Land; and Solomon and Sheba (1974), which separated fact from legend.
Prior to his tenured appointment to the University of Pennsylvania, Pritchard taught at Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania, 1942–1954, as the chair of Old Testament History and Exegesis. At Crozer, Martin Luther King became the most famous of Pritchard's students. He also taught at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California (1954–1962).
An appreciation of James B. Pritchard appeared in the American Journal of Archaeology, Volume 102, Number 1 (January 1998, pages 175-177).
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 25, 2009
This is the essential compendium of source material for anyone interested in studying early history in the Levant.
First published in 1950, ANET has not yet been surpassed in its breathtaking scope of translations of Sumerian, Egyptian, Babylonian (Akkadian), Assyrian, Hittite, and Ugaritic written material. Despite the title, this collection is certainly not limited to material pertaining to the Bible, but includes literature, poems, philosophical material, legal documents, treaties, spells, hymns, historical documents, and more. Some well-known entries include the Akkadian creation fable Enuma elish, the Sumerian Gilgamesh fragments, "Inanna's Descent into the Underworld", and the Code of Hammurabi.
The translations are scholarly and tend toward strictly-literal rather than literary. Owing the nature of the source material many texts are riddled with lacunae. Introductions and explanatory notes are useful but some familiarity with the history and context of these pieces definitely helps.
Some collections have been better-translated by now (i.e. Jacobson's Sumerian translations surpass Kramer's pioneering work included here), but there's simply nothing else like it. This is not the only book on ancient near-eastern literature that I would want, but I would wish to be without it either.
First published in 1950, ANET has not yet been surpassed in its breathtaking scope of translations of Sumerian, Egyptian, Babylonian (Akkadian), Assyrian, Hittite, and Ugaritic written material. Despite the title, this collection is certainly not limited to material pertaining to the Bible, but includes literature, poems, philosophical material, legal documents, treaties, spells, hymns, historical documents, and more. Some well-known entries include the Akkadian creation fable Enuma elish, the Sumerian Gilgamesh fragments, "Inanna's Descent into the Underworld", and the Code of Hammurabi.
The translations are scholarly and tend toward strictly-literal rather than literary. Owing the nature of the source material many texts are riddled with lacunae. Introductions and explanatory notes are useful but some familiarity with the history and context of these pieces definitely helps.
Some collections have been better-translated by now (i.e. Jacobson's Sumerian translations surpass Kramer's pioneering work included here), but there's simply nothing else like it. This is not the only book on ancient near-eastern literature that I would want, but I would wish to be without it either.
February 21, 2019
This compilation open the perspective about how the ancients saw certain things, it also puts the Biblical text in perspective as to why certain things in the creation story were written as they are now.
March 30, 2024
"Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament with Supplement" is a scholarly work that compiles and analyzes various ancient texts from the Near East that have relevance to the Old Testament. It includes translations and discussions of texts from cultures such as Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Egypt, and the Levant, which provide historical and cultural context for understanding the Old Testament.
However, since it covers a wide range of texts and cultures, it may not always explicitly specify which Old Testament text it relates to. Readers may need to consult the introductions, footnotes, or accompanying commentary to understand the connections between the ancient texts and specific passages or themes in the Old Testament. Considering the length of the book, this may be a very time consuming endeavour. Additionally, familiarity with the Old Testament itself is often necessary to recognize the relevance of these ancient texts. If you are not familiar with the Old Testament, you will often feel lost with the translations.
However, since it covers a wide range of texts and cultures, it may not always explicitly specify which Old Testament text it relates to. Readers may need to consult the introductions, footnotes, or accompanying commentary to understand the connections between the ancient texts and specific passages or themes in the Old Testament. Considering the length of the book, this may be a very time consuming endeavour. Additionally, familiarity with the Old Testament itself is often necessary to recognize the relevance of these ancient texts. If you are not familiar with the Old Testament, you will often feel lost with the translations.
April 18, 2021
Great stuff. Gilgamesh. Descent into the underworld. Cures for a toothache. Beer recipes. It has it all.
December 16, 2016
This is a huge book -- 8 1/2 x 11 inch pages and small type for the text, smaller for the introductions to the selections and almost at the limit of readability for the notes. If it were printed in normal type and in a normal size book, it would run to two or three thousand pages. Needless to say, it's taken me a while to read. Ancient Near Eastern Texts, usually cited as ANET, was long the standard reference in translation for those of us who don't read Middle Egyptian, Sumerian, Akkadian, Aramaic and Hittite. Although the title mentions the Old Testament, the editor takes "relating to" in a very broad sense; the book contains excerpts from most of the important texts which were available and translated at the time it was written, from the Enuma elish and the Epic of Gilgamesh to the Macedonian conquest (other than the Bible itself). It is arranged by topics, such as "Creation Myths", "Legal Documents", "Historical Inscriptions", "Didactic and Wisdom Literature", "Proverbs", "Prayers", etc.; within each topic, it begins with the Egyptian, then the Sumerian and Akkadian, then the Hittite, and then the Aramaic texts (and a small number of South Arabian texts); and within each language it is roughly chronological.
The translations are by leading scholars of the time, among others John A. Wilson for Egyptian, S.N. Kramer for Sumerian, William Albright, Albrecht Goetze for Hittite, etc., and were very reliable for the period. The third edition reprints the material from the first two editions (1950 and 1955) together, then adds a supplement (arranged the same way) of materials found or translated between 1955 and 1969.
I read the two volume paperback abridged edition of ANET in the 1970's, but never had access to the full book until I found it at a library booksale a few years ago, and I've been meaning to find time to read it since. The main problems with the book are that it is divided into so many sections that there is no real feeling for development over time (it was really intended more as a reference than for reading through) and that some of the excerpts are too short; and of course the translations (and more importantly, the interpretations) are now over fifty years old. I've read the Egyptian material in more complete editions (some more recent, some even less) and have recent anthologies of the Sumerian and Akkadian texts on my reading list for early next year, and the Hittite materials for later on; but ANET still gives the most complete general overview of the whole region over the longest time span that I know of.
The translations are by leading scholars of the time, among others John A. Wilson for Egyptian, S.N. Kramer for Sumerian, William Albright, Albrecht Goetze for Hittite, etc., and were very reliable for the period. The third edition reprints the material from the first two editions (1950 and 1955) together, then adds a supplement (arranged the same way) of materials found or translated between 1955 and 1969.
I read the two volume paperback abridged edition of ANET in the 1970's, but never had access to the full book until I found it at a library booksale a few years ago, and I've been meaning to find time to read it since. The main problems with the book are that it is divided into so many sections that there is no real feeling for development over time (it was really intended more as a reference than for reading through) and that some of the excerpts are too short; and of course the translations (and more importantly, the interpretations) are now over fifty years old. I've read the Egyptian material in more complete editions (some more recent, some even less) and have recent anthologies of the Sumerian and Akkadian texts on my reading list for early next year, and the Hittite materials for later on; but ANET still gives the most complete general overview of the whole region over the longest time span that I know of.
February 8, 2016
No, I didn't read through all 744 pages. This is meant as a reference book above all. I focused most of my attention on the cosmology stories, but I looked through the law books and love poetry too. Why is learning about the way ancient people thought so interesting? Anyways, this would be a great book to own, or to refer to those who ask "Wait....you mean Genesis isn't the first flood story?" Uh, no. Learning about the context in which the oral stories of the OT began is just important as the stories themselves. My knock is that these are all excerpts; I wanted to get into the nitty gritty of the similarities and differences. I was also hoping for some Persian insights (Zoroastrianism plays a larger role in ancient religion than many people give it credit for), but oh well. Still a fantasist beginning resource.
December 7, 2012
this is a huge collection of textual documents which are all related to the stories of the Old Testament. it involves, not only myths, legends, but also the legal texts and historical information. It is a very good useful tool book and reference.
April 21, 2013
This book is priceless for any student of ancient history or home educating family. It includes translations of all the major Egyptian, Hittite, Babylonian, Assyrian, Sumerian texts from 500 BC to 2348 or so.
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February 1, 2022For pictures https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...
October 25, 2013
Excellent book! It was very helpful for my Master's study.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews