Religions of Ancient Near East1

obligatory courses

Classroom

Sources for the study of the religions of the Ancient East, main concepts and research methods. History of ancient Near East religions: an overview of beliefs and cults of Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians, Elamites, people of Syria, the Mediterranean Coast, and ancient Israel.

The first part of the annual lecture. Power point presentations.

Themes:

1. Definitions; schools; religious studies and theology

2. Myth; magic, cult

3. The concept of the Ancient East; the birth of the gods; sources for knowing the religions of the Ancient East, god

4. Studies of the religions of the Ancient East; Sumerian religions; ME, ME-LAM, NAM-TAR

5. Beliefs of the Sumerians; Sumerian deities

6. Monsters, demons; god and man; priests of the Sumerians; the cosmology of the Sumerians; human fate after death; magic of the Sumerians, historical changes

7. Religions of Babylonia and Assyria

8. Frontier of Mesopotamia and Syria (Amorites); Guthi, Kassites, Lullubeans, Arameans, Assyrians; myths of Babylonia and Assyria

9. Cult of the dead; the underworld; god-man relationship; home worship; divine characters

10. Priests; prophets; magic and divination; prostitution; Berossos

11. Religions of Elam

12. Religions of Syria

13. Religions of Syria in the first mill., Phoenician religion; Syrian cults; Philistine religion

14. Religions of Edom, Moab, Ammon; Old Arabic, Nabataeans

15. Religion of Israel

K. Pilarczyk, J. Drabina (red.), Religie Starożytnego Bliskiego Wschodu, Kraków 2008,

K. Banek, Historia religii. Religie niechrześcijańskie, Kraków 2007.

After completing the course provided for in the program student:

- knows the sources for the study of the religions of the Ancient Near East, the relevant religious terminology, research methods and schools,

- knows the main assumptions and cult practice of individual religions, is oriented in the history of these religions, knows the stages of their development and is able to indicate what makes them different from the religions of other peoples of antiquity;

- can identify the elements of the religions of the Ancient Near East and see their special features, connections and differences against the general social development in antiquity;

- is able to critically assess the value of hypotheses presented in publications,

- is aware of the importance of the culture and religion of the Ancient Near East for antiquity.

The following criteria will be used in the assessment:

- attendance (3 unexcused absences allowed in a semester),

- exam result.