7. For a brief discussion on ancient Near Eastern ontology that investigates from a different angle than here, see T. Jacobsen, “The Graven Image,” in Ancient Israelite Religion: Essays in Honor of Frank Moore Cross, ed. P. D. Miller, P. D. Hanson, and S. D. McBride (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1987), 18–20. 8. This is in distinct contrast to modern and even classical ontologies, which often see existence as defined by substance and properties—i.e., largely material in nature. In the ancient Near East, something did not necessarily exist just because it happened to be occupying space.
