Israel and Babylon

Gunkel (1862-1932) succeeded Carl Cornhill in 1920 in the coveted Chair of Old Testament at the University of Halle. This book is the opening section of his monumental 'Commentary on Genesis'.

"Hermann Gunkel was one of the 'greats' of modern Biblical scholarship ... Written in the context of the famous 'Babel-Bible' debate of the beginning of the twentieth century, this book, in a lively, even passionate way, raises some important questions about how to compare cultures and assess their relationships to each other - questions that have not lost their value more than a century later. We must be grateful, therefore, to K.C. Hanson for bringing Gunkel's book back into print in a revised translation with helpful introduction, notes, and up-dated bibliography."Peter Machinist, Harvard University"Hanson's new translation and edition of Gunkel's classic response to the Delitzsch's views of the Babel-Bible controversy is a welcome addition to the growing works on the relationship of Mesopotamia and Israel in antiquity. The new edition of Gunkel's work places in historical context the sometimes overly strong reaction against Delitzsch, headed in part by Gunkel. Hanson has provided scholars a great service in this edition, as he has composed an excellent Foreword that contains a contemporary evaluation of Delitzsch's claims, as well as a solid review of the comparative method used today to investigate Mesopotamian and Israelite connections. Hanson deserves thanks from those of us in the field of Mesopotamian and Biblical studies."Mark W. Chavalas, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse"K.C. Hanson's new translation of Israel and Babylon is a mostly welcomed contribution to the academic community of students and scholars working in the fields of Old Testament and ANE comparative studies. K.C. Hanson has significantly enhanced the readability of the text by revising the translation, adding the original Hebrew words, and providing helpful editorial footnotes. This new English edition of Israel and Babylon is furnished by foreword, bibliography, and indexes of ancient documents, ancient names and modern authors."Igal German, in Theological Book Review, Vol 23, No 2"Besides correcting the syntactical and stylistic deficiencies of the original English translation, Hanson's main concern is to promote the enduring relevance of Gunkel's scholarship. Given the accessibility of his translation, the helpful organization of references, and the concise contextualization in his foreword, he has certainly met this goal. ... We must thank Hanson for bringing back one of the great figures of OT scholarship, and we must thank Gunkel for reminding us that comparative study which exchanges the virtues of balance, honesty, and literary competence for the vice of public renown is detrimental for the state of scholarship and the life of the Church."Samuel Hildebrandt, University of Edinburgh, in The Expository Times, Vol 125, No 6

• List of IllustrationsForeword by K.C. HansonAbbreviations1. Delitzsch, Babylon, and the Bible2. The Broad Reach of Babylonian Civilization3. Babylonian Influences and Delitzsch's Misinterpretations4. Babylonian Influences on Israelite Culture5. Babylonian Influences on Israelite Religion6. Revelation in IsraelBibliographyIndex of Ancient DocumentsIndex of Ancient NamesIndex of Authors