scholarly journals Do Bulgakov’s Hella (Gella), Azazello, Behemoth, and Abadonna Have Ancient Near Eastern Origins?

2021 ◽  
Vol 84 ◽  
pp. 7-24
Author(s):  
Vladimir Sazonov ◽  
◽  
Sirje Kupp-Sazonov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Near East ◽  
Ancient Near East ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Religious Texts ◽  
Near Eastern ◽  
The Master And Margarita ◽  
Master And Margarita

This paper focuses on the issue of the possible Ancient Near Eastern origins of famous Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov’s demonic characters, such as the vampire Hella (Gella), the cat-human Behemoth, and the demons Azazello and Abadonna from the novel The Master and Margarita. The nature of the members of Woland’s court have been analysed in several works; however, their roots are usually considered to go back to biblical times and context. Our aim is to try to shed some light on their possibly more ancient origins, since it is a well-known fact that Bulgakov was deeply interested in the Ancient Near East and used several of its elements in his novel. Therefore, in order to establish any potential Ancient Near Eastern impact on the essence of those characters, we need to look into Akkadian and Sumerian mythology and Mesopotamian religious texts (e.g., incantations).

scholarly journals WEATHER, AGRICULTURE, AND RELIGION IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

Perichoresis ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-124
Author(s):  
Aurelian Botica
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Near East ◽  
Religious Life ◽  
Ancient Near East ◽  
Natural Phenomena ◽  
Religious Thought ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Religious Texts ◽  
Near Eastern ◽  
Concept Of God

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to examine those areas of agricultural and religious life that intersected with each and influenced the way people thought of God (or the gods). We will start with the premise that in the Ancient Near East religion was intrinsically connected to agriculture and fertility, though not entirely defined by them. It is also plausible that people shared a concept of God (gods) that at times was shaped by their interaction with natural phenomena like rain, drought, storms, flooding, and animal and crop plagues. In this sense, scholars have noted the connection between “fertility” and religious life, even though some remain caution of pushing this connection too far. To evaluate the strength of this idea we will examine a number of cultic texts that appear to have presumed the link between weather, agriculture and religion. In particular, we will focus on references to weather/ storm/ fertility gods. In the later part of our study, we will ask to what extent Biblical men and women were influenced by Ancient Near Eastern religious thought. We will also explore the concept of the link between agriculture, weather and religion in Greek religious texts.

Prologue to Genesis (1, 1-11, 26): Prophetic Revelation, History, Myth or Metahistory?

2020 ◽  
pp. 17-46
Author(s):  
Михаил Анатольевич Скобелев
Keyword(s):  
Mystical Experience ◽  
Near East ◽  
Literary Form ◽  
Traditional View ◽  
Ancient Near East ◽  
Symbolic Form ◽  
Near Eastern ◽  
The World ◽  
Genesis 1 ◽  
Book Of Genesis

В статье рассматриваются богословие, композиция и литературная форма сюжетов, входящих в состав Пролога книги Бытия (1, 1-11, 26). Во второй половине XIX - начале XX вв. в результате появления Документальной гипотезы и сопоставления Священного Писания с литературными памятниками Древнего Ближнего Востока большая часть сюжетов, составляющих Пролог, была объявлена мифами и древнееврейским фольклором (Ю. Велльгаузен, Г. Гунекель, Дж. Фрезер). Кроме выявленных ближневосточных параллелей, новому отношению к повествованиям Пролога книги Бытия способствовали: отсутствие в нём ясно выраженной исторической задачи и символичность изложения. Защищая традиционный взгляд на Пролог как на священную историю и пророческое откровение, епископ Кассиан (Безобразов) предложил рассматривать все библейские сюжеты, содержащие теофанию, как метаисторию. Протоиерей Сергий Булгаков, А. Ф. Лосев, Б. П. Вышеславцев, занимавшиеся феноменом мифотворчества, назвали библейское повествование о начале мироздания мифом, но в ином смысле, чем это делали Г. Гункель и Дж. Фрезер. Они обосновали новый положительный взгляд, согласно которому миф не есть выдумка или фантазия, а реальность, основанная на мистическом опыте. В статье анализируется каждый из перечисленных терминов: «история», «миф», «метаистория» применительно к Прологу, а также рассматривается возможность их согласования с традиционным церковным взглядом на эту часть книги Бытия. The article deals with the theology, composition and literary form of the narrations which constitute the prologue part of the book of Genesis (1, 1-11, 26). During the second half of the 19th and at the turn of the 20th cent., following the emergence of the Documentary hypothesis as well as the comparison of the Holy Scripture with the newly-discovered literary monuments of Ancient Near East, the greater part of the narrations that constitute the Prologue were labeled myths and ancient Hebrew folklore (J. Wellhausen, H. Gunkel, J. Frazer). In addition to the then detected Near Eastern parallels, this new attitude towards the narrations of the Prologue was fostered by its lack of a clearly expressed historical dedication and the symbolic form of their exposition. Defending the traditional view of the Prologue as sacred history and prophetic revelation, bishop Kassian (Bezobrazov) proposed to consider all the biblical narrations that contain theophanies as metahistorical. Archpriest Sergey Bulgakov, A. F. Losev and B. P. Vysheslavtsev, who analyzed the phenomenon of myth-making, called the Biblical narration of the origins of the world a myth, but in a sense different from that proposed by Gunkel and Frazer. They have founded a new and positive conception according to which a myth is not fiction but rather a kind of reality based upon mystical experience. The author of the article analyzes each of the terms enumerated - «history», «myth», «metahistory» - in their use relating them to the Prologue; he also examines the possibility of their harmonizing with the traditional ecclesiastical view of this part of the book of Genesis.

scholarly journals Praise by animals in the Hebrew Bible

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 500-513
Author(s):  
Peter Joshua Atkins
Keyword(s):  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Near East ◽  
Ancient Near East ◽  
Near Eastern ◽  
Biblical Texts

Among ancient Near Eastern societies was a widespread and particularly intriguing belief that animals were able to worship and praise deities. This study shows the Hebrew Bible evidences the idea that animals were capable of praising God too and proceeds to observe and document the presence of numerous examples of this in specific biblical texts. Through understanding the place of animals in the Hebrew Bible, and their perceived activity in the ancient Near East, this study suggests animals are distinct agents of praise in their own right in the biblical texts.

scholarly journals THE MEANING OF INTERTEXTUALITY OF “THE MASTER AND MARGARITA”

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 832-838
Author(s):  
E.A. Ivanshina
Keyword(s):  
The Novel ◽  
Inspector General ◽  
The Master And Margarita ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Master And Margarita ◽  
Literary Codes

The article deals with the meaning of intertextual reading of "The Master and Margarita". The text of the novel is considered as a model of counterculture, from the standpoint of which the author chooses those literary codes from which his own model of literary behavior is built. These dominant codes are manifested in the course of decoding as a result of correlation of intertextual borrowings. This takes into account not only external borrowings, but also the relationship within the novel and the relationship of the novel with other Bulgakov’s texts. Special attention is paid to such signs of borrowing as a suit and money. As the keys to the novel, "The Inspector General", "The Covetous Knight" and "The Count of Monte Cristo" are updated, and the novel itself represents the act of retaliation of the author and the implementation of his inner freedom. Besides, the novel affirms the priority of genuine art over reality.

scholarly journals ABOUT THE MEANING OF THEATRE “THE MASTER AND MARGARITA”

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 303-310
Author(s):  
E.A. Ivanshina ◽  
V.V. Zyatkova
Keyword(s):  
The Novel ◽  
Semantic Field ◽  
The Real ◽  
Historical Reality ◽  
The Master And Margarita ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Master And Margarita ◽  
Literary Codes

The article deals with the semantic field of the theater in "The master and Margarita", which extends to all novel chronotopes and can be structured as a two-level one. Considering different cases of theatricalization of space and different signs of theatricality in the novel, the authors correlate the real theater (theatre as a historical reality ) and the literary theater (the art of acting ) and actualize the confrontation of literature and historical reality in "The Master and Margarita". The text of the novel is considered as a model of counterculture, from the standpoint of which the author chooses those literary codes from which his own model of theatrical behavior is built. At the same time, special attention is paid to the actualization of the metaphor "theater - court" and the semantics of exposure, and the novel itself is an act of vengeance of the author and the implementation of his inner freedom. As an example of such an artistic concept of the relationship between art and life, the film "Once upon a time... in Hollywood" by Tarantino is considered.

Temporality and Periodization in Ancient Near Eastern History

2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva von Dassow
Keyword(s):  
Near East ◽  
Ancient Near East ◽  
Near Eastern ◽  
Temporal Dimensions ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Comprehensive Coverage

In this article I consider the issues of temporality and periodization in the ancient Near East under three rubrics: how modern scholars have periodized ancient Near Eastern history, how societies of the ancient Near East periodized their own history, and, more broadly, how they conceptualized the temporal dimensions of their world and mapped themselves onto time. In each case I illustrate the issue with a selection of examples, which in no way represent comprehensive coverage. Under the last rubric, I focus on Sumer and Akkad.

Archaic lists, writing and mind

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 484-504
Author(s):  
Rita Watson
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of Science ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Near East ◽  
Ancient Near East ◽  
Near Eastern

Theories of writing and mind have proposed that the uses of literacy give rise to a distinct repertoire of cognitive skills, attitudes, and concepts. This paper reconsiders the earliest lexical lists of the Ancient Near East as one type of evidence on writing and mind. Past and present conceptions of the lists are briefly reviewed. Early views cast the lists as reflecting a Sumerian mentality or a uniquely literate mode of thought, while recent accounts suggest they may simply be routine scribal exercises. A view from the philosophy of science, on which lists are considered a sub-type of ordering system, suggests a way of aligning a scribal practice account with aspects of earlier views by articulating the nature of list entries and the intentions of the list makers. On this account, the Ancient Near Eastern lists can be seen both as uniquely literate and as uniquely informative on the role of writing in mind.

Antiquarianism in the Near East

2020 ◽  
pp. 132-162
Author(s):  
Thomas Roebuck
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Near East ◽  
Ancient Near East ◽  
Asia Minor ◽  
Bodleian Library ◽  
Near Eastern ◽  
International Scholarship ◽  
Western European

This chapter provides an account of Thomas Smith’s pioneering account of the archaeology of the ancient Near Eastern church, his Survey of the Seven Churches of Asia, first published in Latin in 1672. The book remained a huge influence on travellers to Asia Minor well into the nineteenth century, as clergymen and amateur archaeologists retraced Smith’s steps, with his book as guide. Drawing upon the vast archive of Smith’s letters and manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, the chapter places the book firmly in its original context, unpicking the complex interweaving of patronage, religion, and international scholarship which shaped the work. In the end, Smith’s book looks backwards and forwards: back to the traditions of seventeenth-century English confessionalized scholarship and orientalism, and forwards to later eighteenth- and nineteenth-century archaeological traditions. As such, this study sheds light on a pivotal moment in Western European approaches to the ancient Near East.

Museums as Vehicles for Defining Artistic Canons

2020 ◽  
pp. 232-252
Author(s):  
Paul Collins
Keyword(s):  
Near East ◽  
British Museum ◽  
Ancient Near East ◽  
Institutional History ◽  
Disciplinary Knowledge ◽  
Near Eastern ◽  
Museum Exhibitions

The modern Western encounter with the ancient Near Eastern canon has been mediated largely by museums. Indeed, for the vast majority of specialists and nonspecialists alike the material remains of the ancient Near East are accessible firsthand only through museums. This point is significant because it is now recognized that museum exhibitions and displays have an important role in the formation of disciplinary knowledge. This chapter considers the ways in which the British Museum in London has historically presented and thereby potentially shaped and reiterated canons of ancient Near Eastern art and archaeology, and how it was received and shaped in turn by the nonspecialist visitor. The British Museum has been selected because of its significant collections but also for its long institutional history that reflects changing approaches to display and interpretation.

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