scholarly journals Hêlēl ben-Šaḥar and the Chthonic Sun: A New Suggestion for the Mythological Background of Isa 14:12-15

2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-148
Author(s):  
Laura Quick
Keyword(s):  
The Sun ◽  
Near Eastern ◽  
Morning Star ◽  
Complete Analogy

Abstract This paper will explore the oft investigated problem of the mythological referents which inform Isa 14:12-15. Crucial to this will be a reinterpretation of the mysterious hêlēl ben-šaḥar of v. 12, almost universally understood by commentators and translators alike to refer to the ‘Day Star, son of the Dawn’, and thus taken to refer to the ‘morning star’, the planet Venus. Much of the scholarship has approached the ancient Near Eastern material with this meaning in mind, yet no myth hitherto proposed has provided a complete analogy to Isa 14:12-15. Thus I will begin by exploring the problems with these previous analogies, before reconsidering the meaning of hêlēl ben-šaḥar. Understanding the phrase to metonymically remind of the sun itself, the Ugaritic conception of the chthonic sun will be proposed to provide a much more satisfying parallel with our Isaiah passage.

The Planets in Aztec Culture

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Milbrath
Keyword(s):  
Solar Eclipse ◽  
Total Solar Eclipse ◽  
Colonial Period ◽  
Central Mexico ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Creation Myths ◽  
Morning Star ◽  
Night Sky ◽  
Solar Rays

The Spanish chronicles do not mention planets other than Venus, although they compare certain Aztec gods with classical gods such as Jupiter and Mars. Creation myths recorded by the Spanish chroniclers frequently name Venus gods, most notably Ehecatl-Quetzalcoatl and Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli. The focus on Venus seen in these texts is also mirrored in colonial period Aztec codices, which feature several Venus gods as rulers of calendar periods associated with the 260-day calendar. The famous Aztec Calendar Stone represents Venus symbols prominently in an image showing the predicted demise of the Sun in an eternal solar eclipse, to be accompanied by earthquakes. Venus is apparently seen as the cause of a total solar eclipse in the Codex Borgia, a pre-conquest codex from Tlaxcala, a community neighboring the Aztecs in central Mexico. Although no pre-conquest Aztec codices survive, the painted screenfold books attributed to neighboring communities in central Mexico provide evidence of the kinds of almanacs that were probably also found in Preconquest Aztec screenfold books. The Codex Borgia has two Venus almanacs associated with heliacal rise events and another focusing on dates that coordinate with events involving Venus and possibly other planets. A unique narrative in the Codex Borgia traces Venus over the course of a year, representing different aspects of the synodical cycle. The transformation of Venus in the narrative is evidenced by subtle changes in the Venus god, Quetzalcoatl, who represents the planet Venus throughout the synodical cycle. Another god, Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli (“lord of dawn”), appears in the narrative associated with Venus as the morning star and also is represented in a death aspect during superior conjunction. This is in keeping with Aztec legends that tell how the Sun killed Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli with his solar rays. The Borgia narrative also helps identify Xolotl as the planet Mercury and provides hints about other planets that may be linked with different aspects of Tezcatlipoca, an Aztec god who ruled the night sky.

La Madre Matiana: Prophetess and Nation in Mexican Satire

2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (02) ◽  
pp. 241-274
Author(s):  
Edward Wright-Ríos
Keyword(s):  
Mexico City ◽  
Mexican Revolution ◽  
The Sun ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Truth Telling ◽  
Morning Star ◽  
Alter Ego

On July 1, 1917, a publication calling itself La Madre Matiana hit the newsstands in Mexico City. The newspaper promised a bold take on politics and society, and its masthead revealed a mission both madcap and grandiose: “A prophetic, truth-telling newspaper; it will block the sun with a finger, bark at the moon, and serenade the morning star.” This earnest but rather comical statement of endeavor appeared in each issue, and Mexicans of the time would have seen in addition an irreverent parody in the publication's name. The periodical's founder, Angel Prieto, had appropriated a clairvoyant character from popular lore to serve as his paper's alter ego. He chose well—the prophecies of madre Matiana had provoked Mexicans for over half a century and gained renewed prominence during the Mexican Revolution. In the years leading up to the newspaper's emergence, various publications had revisited the Matiana legacy.

‘In the dim light’: Archaeoastronomy in Beckett's Ill Seen Ill Said

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-330
Author(s):  
Scott Eric Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Direct Relationship ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Winter Solstice ◽  
Morning Star ◽  
Dim Light ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Stone Structures

Beckett's Ill Seen Ill Said begins with the protagonist in a position where ‘she sees Venus rise followed by the sun.’ This opening indicates the direct relationship between the narrative and astronomical phenomena of Venus rising as the morning star to mark the winter solstice and the alignments of megalithic structures built in correlation to this event. This paper traces the ways in which Ill Seen Ill Said uses the process of astronomy, the mapping of stars and planets, coinciding with megalithic stone structures, studied through the discipline known as archaeoastronomy, as a device for the creation of the narrative.

scholarly journals Ancient Israelite and African proverbs as advice, reproach, warning, encouragement and explanation

2015 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
David T. Adamo
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Community Culture ◽  
Near Eastern ◽  
Ancient Israel ◽  
Sense Of Identity ◽  
Sub Saharan

With few exceptions, the majority of biblical scholars (Euroamericans and Africans) concentrate on comparing ancient Israelite proverbs with the so-called ancient Near Eastern proverbs. Despite the importance of proverbs in Sub-Saharan Africa it is doubly unfortunate that the majority of African biblical scholars did not think it wise to compare proverbs from ancient Israel with Sub-Saharan African proverbs. It is also a double tragedy that young people in Sub-Saharan Africa are ignorant of proverbs because they have refused to learn them because they think them archaic. Proverbs in both ancient Israel and in Africa are similar in function and classification. Thus, they serve as advice, reproach, warning, encouragement and further explanation of some facts. They have great value and importance, such as giving a sense of identity, community, culture, respect for authority and elders, sacredness of everything under the sun and a sense of hospitality and others.

On the Wings of Love

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marinus van der Sluijs
Keyword(s):  
The Sun ◽  
Near Eastern ◽  
Single Passage ◽  
Eastern Traditions ◽  
Underlying Theme

AbstractA single passage in Hesiod's Theogony describes Aphrodite's abduction of Phaethon. At first glance, this Phaethon appears to have little in common with his namesake, who famously rode the chariot of the sun god for a day. Accordingly, various reputable scholars have treated them as two unrelated characters. This article argues that the underlying theme of apotheosis through catasterism—reinforced through comparison with ancient Near Eastern traditions—forges a link that allows for the ultimate unity of these divergent traditions concerning Phaethon.

Were Hittite Kings Divinely Anointed? A Palaic Invocation to the Sun-God and Its Significance for Hittite Religion

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilya Yakubovich
Keyword(s):  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Rite Of Passage ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Secondary Association ◽  
Near Eastern ◽  
Eastern Cultures ◽  
Ritual Cleansing

AbstractThe aim of this paper is to improve our understanding of a difficult Palaic invocation to the Sun-god, and to elucidate its implications for the study of Hittite religion. The first part of my account contains linguistic and philological discussion that concludes with a new translation of the scrutinized fragment. According to my interpretation, the Sun-god is requested to anoint the Hittite king and to exalt him. This is the only clear evidence that the gods were thought to be personally responsible for the anointment of Hittite kings. A counterpart to this nontrivial concept is well known from the Hebrew Bible and is inherited by the Christian tradition.The second part of this paper, which is meant to be accessible to all the historians of religion, discusses the anointment as a rite of passage among the Hittites, as well as the relevant parallels in other Ancient Near Eastern cultures. I am arguing that anointment with oil was extended to both Hittite priestly kings and certain other categories of Hittite priests, and that the underlying purpose of this act was ritual cleansing. The spread of this rite to those cultures where kings were not at the head of the religious hierarchy boosted the secondary association of divine anointment with empowerment rather that purification.

Von Edelsteinen und ihren »Fund«Orten—Ein Beitrag zum Weltbild des Alten Orients

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 458-478
Author(s):  
Corinna Körting
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Near Eastern ◽  
Gilgamesh Epic ◽  
The Way

Abstract Ancient Near Eastern Sources offer various kinds of descriptions of gemstones and their use, either for healing or for sanctification rituals. Several myths explain their place in the Ancient Near Eastern cosmology. One of these myths is the Gilgamesh Epic, which tells about a garden of gemstones lying behind the way of the sun—out of reach for humankind. The placement of the garden, e.g. the gemstones in Gilgamesh, also demands further investigation of the placement of gemstones in the Old Testament. The article offers a thorough reading of Gilg. IX 170-196; Gen 2:10-14; Ezek 28:11-19; Is 54:11-17a and, briefly, Job 28. The author shows that gemstones are not just to be regarded colorful and precious. They are deeply connected with a realm outside human reach and with primeval times. They function as a marker in this respect when placed at the robe of the king of Tyre. And they transform Zion according to Is 54 at the other end, to an eschatological future.

The Sun is but a Morning Star: Studies in West Coast Poetry and Poetics.

1990 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 741 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas B. Byers ◽  
Lee Bartlett
Keyword(s):  
West Coast ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Poetry And Poetics ◽  
Star Studies ◽  
Morning Star
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