Cosmic Order in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East

This volume investigates the ways in which various beings, institutions, concepts, and places in ancient Near Eastern religions were believed to function in the context of the establishment and regulation of cosmic order. Employing modern perspectives, including Catholic, Protestant, and secular, the contributors provide a historical-critical focus, aiming to understand how ancient cultures believed the cosmos to work.Ranging from ancient Israel to the Southern Levant and the Neo-Assyrian Empire, the volume explores topics such as the two distinct creation events involving ‘Heaven’ and ‘Earth’; the role of the natural world as a whole in the pursuit of cosmic order; the use of chaos as a tool by various divinities; beneficent pursuers of order and maleficent agents of chaos; and the power of the divine in the underworld. While arguing that regulation of cosmic order is ultimately the prerogative of the chief god and the great gods of the divine council, the contributors also place special emphasis on human participation, especially through the actions of royalty.