Greco-Roman Literature Research Articles

The Ritual Background of the Dying God in Cyprus and Syro-Palestine

In Frazer'sGolden Boughthe leading instance of the central figure whom he called “the dying god” was Adonis, famous from Greco-Roman literature and art but firmly localized in Semitic Phoenicia, Syria, and Cyprus. Since Frazer wrote, his other Near Eastern instances have been so transformed by increasing knowledge that it can be doubted whether they severally belong to the same type or indeed whether any general type exists. Adonis has hardly shared in these discoveries and debates, for research has emphasized instead the large developments which overtook his worship within the Greco-Roman world. Most of this research does not bear at all on the origins of Adonis, but scholars have sometimes been so bemused by the Greek elements as to forget or deny the Semitic. Everything has been called into question at different times. Such features of his myth as the boar and the myrrh tree and the incest are discounted as Greek embroidery; his peculiar festival, with mourning women and miniature gardens of lettuce, is traced to the preoccupations of Greek urban society; even the Semitic derivation derivation of his name is disputed. This Greek exclusivism cannot be sustained. All accounts of Adonis' life and lineage, and all analogies for his worship converge in the Levant — not in a single site or land, but in Phoenicia, coastal Syria and Cyprus together, lands which from the Late Bronze Age onward display a distinctive common culture, above all with respect to religion. This is where Adonis is at home, and where we may look for evidence to explain the figure of the dying god.

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature

Described as an invaluable reference work (Classical Philology) and tool indispensable for the study of early Christian (Religious Studies Review) in its previous edition, this new updated American edition of Walter Bauer's Worterbuch zu den Schriften des Neuen Testaments builds on its predecessor's staggering deposit of extraordinary erudition relating to Greek literature from all periods. Including entries for many more words, the new edition also lists more than 25,000 additional references to classical, intertestamental, Early Christian, and modern literature. In this edition, Frederick W. Danker's broad knowledge of Greco-Roman literature, as well as papyri and epigraphs, provides a more panoramic view of the world of Jesus and the New Testament. Danker has also introduced a more consistent mode of reference citation, and has provided a composite list of abbreviations to facilitate easy access to this wealth of information. Perhaps the single most important lexical innovation of Danker's edition is its inclusion of extended definitions for Greek terms. For instance, a key meaning of episkopos was defined in the second American edition as overseer; Danker defines it as one who has the responsibility of safeguarding or seeing to it that something is done in the correct way, guardian. Such extended definitions give a fuller sense of the word in question, which will help avoid both anachronisms and confusion among users of the lexicon who may not be native speakers of English. Danker's edition of Bauer's Worterbuch will be an indispensable guide for Biblical and classical scholars, ministers, seminarians, and translators.

Frankincense and Myrrh in Ancient South Arabia

UNTII THE EARI Y nineteenth century, our knowledge of frankincense and myrrh and of their role in the economy of ancient South Arabia was wholly based on references in the Bible and GrecoRoman literature. Biblical writers made it clear that incense trade was one of the pillars of South Arabian economy, and to this general picture, classical authors added a wealth of information, as we shall see below. Unhappily their testimonies are not equally reliable and often conflict owing to the fact that their sources contained legendary material and were received secondor third-hand and these conflicts could not be rcsolved until new data had been brought to light. Important evidence bearing on the production and distribution of incense was discovered by a number of explorers and investigators in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Although a nber of scholars touched on various aspects of this material, the first thorough-going evaluation of the ancient sources in the light of modern data was made by Adolf Grohmann, and his study, which appeared in two parts in 1922 and 1933,1 remains the standard work in this field. Since that time, new information has come to light which enables us to correct some earlier mistakes and to lay the groundwork -for a new synthesis. All problems are by no means solved, and some questions must remain unanswered until more evidence is forthcoming.

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature

Described as an invaluable reference work (Classical Philology) and tool indispensable for the study of early Christian (Religious Studies Review) in its previous edition, this new updated American edition of Walter Bauer's Worterbuch zu den Schriften des Neuen Testaments builds on its predecessor's staggering deposit of extraordinary erudition relating to Greek literature from all periods. Including entries for many more words, the new edition also lists more than 25,000 additional references to classical, intertestamental, Early Christian, and modern literature. In this edition, Frederick W. Danker's broad knowledge of Greco-Roman literature, as well as papyri and epigraphs, provides a more panoramic view of the world of Jesus and the New Testament. Danker has also introduced a more consistent mode of reference citation, and has provided a composite list of abbreviations to facilitate easy access to this wealth of information. Perhaps the single most important lexical innovation of Danker's edition is its inclusion of extended definitions for Greek terms. For instance, a key meaning of episkopos was defined in the second American edition as overseer; Danker defines it as one who has the responsibility of safeguarding or seeing to it that something is done in the correct way, guardian. Such extended definitions give a fuller sense of the word in question, which will help avoid both anachronisms and confusion among users of the lexicon who may not be native speakers of English. Danker's edition of Bauer's Worterbuch will be an indispensable guide for Biblical and classical scholars, ministers, seminarians, and translators.