The Promoting Mother a Literary Motif in the Ugaritic Texts and in the Bible

Abstract

One of the more conspicuous features in modern Old Testament scholarship is scholars' growing awareness of literary form and literary motifs in biblical texts. Since Ugaritic texts were found, numerous attempts have been made to trace connexions between these Canaanite documents and the Old Testament. In the beginning, many scholars were tempted to delineate solid historical links between the Ugaritic records, and biblical stories and history. This chapter concentrates on a single, specific literary motif which seems to be present both in the Ugaritic texts, the Old Testament and the New Testament; this is the motif termed mother. In the case of Ugaritic texts we find the motif in the stories about the God Athtar, who usurps the throne of Baal or of one of the other leading Gods. In the Old Testament we encounter this motif in both the patriarchal stories and in the Davidic narrative cycle. Keywords: biblical stories; Canaanite documents; God Athtar; literary motif; New Testament; Old Testament; promoting mother; Ugaritic Texts