War and ethics in the ancient Near East [[electronic resource] ] : military violence in light of cosmology and history / / C. L. Crouch

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910455745703321
• Autore: Crouch Carly L (Carly Lorraine), <1982->
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Berlin ; ; New York, : Walter de Gruyter, c2009
• ISBN: 1-282-71503-8; 9786612715037; 3-11-022352-X
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (260 p.)
• Collana: Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, , 0934-2575 ; ; Bd. 407
• Classificazione: BC 6865
• Disciplina: 221.6; 221.8/35502
• Soggetti: Military art and science - Middle East - History; Violence - Religious aspects - Judaism; War - Biblical teaching; War - Religious aspects - Judaism; Military art and science - Moral and ethical aspects; Electronic books.
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Revision of the author's thesis (D.Phil.)--University of Oxford, 2009.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references (p. [203]-231) and indexes.
• Nota di contenuto: Frontmatter -- Contents -- 1. Introduction -- Part I Ideology, cosmology and ethics -- 2. Ideology and the confrontation of cultures -- 3. Assyrian cosmology -- 4. Judahite and Israelite cosmology -- Part II Ethics and society -- 5. Ethics of the Assyrian élite -- 6. Ethics of the Judahite and Israelite élite -- 7. Ethics of the non-élite -- Part III Ethics and history -- 8. Developments in Assyrian ethics -- 9. Developments in Judahite and Israelite ethics I -- 10. Developments in Judahite and Israelite ethics II -- 11. Conclusions -- Backmatter
• Sommario/riassunto: The monograph considers the relationships of ethical systems in the ancient Near East through a study of warfare in Judah, Israel and Assyria in the eighth and seventh centuries BCE. It argues that a common cosmological and ideological outlook generated similarities in ethical thinking. In all three societies, the mythological traditions surrounding creation reflect a strong connection between war, kingship ; and the establishment of order. Human kings' military activities are legitimated through their identification with this cosmic struggle against chaos, begun by the divine king at creation. Military violence is thereby cast not only as morally tolerable but as morally imperative. Deviations from this point of view reflect two phenomena: the preservation of variable social perspectives and the impact of historical changes on ethical thinking.The research begins the discussion of ancient Near Eastern ethics outside of Israel and Judah and fills a scholarly void by placing Israelite and Judahite ethics within this context, as well as contributing methodologically to future research in historical and comparative ethics.