Animalising Affliction Of Nebuchadnezzar In Daniel 4

"Peter Atkins presents a detailed investigation into the nature of Nebuchadnezzar's animalising affliction in Daniel 4 and the degree to which he is depicted as actually becoming an animal. Atkins examines typical explanations of this which seem to have followed two predominant lines of interpretation: either Nebuchadnezzar undergoes a physical metamorphosis of some kind into an animal form; or diverse other readings that specifically preclude or deny an animal transformation of the king. By providing an extensive examination of this division of interpretative opinion, alongside innovative assessments of the narrative's textual history and ancient Mesopotamian divine-human-animal boundaries, Atkins ultimately demonstrates how neither of these traditional interpretations best reflect the narrative events. While there have been numerous metamorphic interpretations of Daniel 4, such readings are largely reliant upon later developments within the textual tradition and are not present in the earliest edition of Nebuchadnezzar's animalising affliction. However it is equally inadequate to state that the king does not undergo an animal transformation at all as, through Nebuchadnezzar's loss of reason, Daniel 4 describes a more subtle yet much more profound crossing of the human-animal boundary. When Daniel 4 is read in the context of Mesopotamian texts, which appear to conceive of the human-animal boundary as being indicated primarily in relation to possession or lack of the divine characteristic of wisdom, the affliction represents a far more significant categorical change from human to animal than has hitherto been identified"--

This is a detailed investigation into the nature of Nebuchadnezzar's animalising affliction in Daniel 4 and the degree to which he is depicted as actually becoming an animal. PeterAtkins examines two predominant lines of interpretation: either Nebuchadnezzar undergoes a physical metamorphosis of some kind into an animal form; or diverse other readings that specifically preclude or deny an animal transformation of the king. By providing an extensive study of these interpretative opinions, alongside innovative assessments of ancient Mesopotamian divine-human-animal boundaries, Atkins ultimately demonstrates how neither of these traditional interpretations best reflect the narrative events. While there have been numerous metamorphic interpretations of Daniel 4, these are largely reliant upon later developments within the textual tradition and are not present in the earliest edition of Nebuchadnezzar's animalising affliction. Atkins' study displays that when Daniel 4 is read in the context of Mesopotamian texts, which appear to conceive of the human-animal boundary as being indicated primarily in relation to possession or lack of the divine characteristic of wisdom, the affliction represents a far more significant categorical change from human to animal than has hitherto been identified.

This volume explores concepts of fiction in late antique hagiographical narrative in different cultural and literary traditions. It includes Greek, Latin, Syriac, Armenian, Persian and Arabic material. Whereas scholarship in these texts has traditionally focussed on historical questions, this book approaches imaginative narrative as an inherent element of the genre of hagiography that deserves to be studied in its own right. The chapters explore narrative complexities related to fiction, such as invention, authentication, intertextuality, imagination and fictionality. Together, they represent an innovative exploration of how these concepts relate to hagiographical discourses of truth and the religious notion of belief, while paying due attention to the various factors and contexts that impact readers’ responses.

This study of Nebuchadnezzar's madness in Daniel 4 demonstrates how the elements which the biblical author borrowed from Ancient Near Eastern myth commanded the attention of early Jewish and Christian exegetes.

Henry Smith (ca. 1550–1591) was an English clergyman, widely regarded as "the most popular Puritan preacher of Elizabethan London." His sermons at St. Clement Danes drew enormous crowds, and earned him a reputation as the "Silver Tongued Preacher". In this work Henry Smith explains, verse by verse, Daniel 4:29-34 concerning the life and actions of king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Though this work is insightful into the manner of kings and magistrates, as Nebuchadnezzar was, it is also extremely helpful on the sin of pride, which every person struggles to overcome. Nebuchadnezzar boasts, and demonstrates his pride over the "city he built" and then is brought low like a beast until God graciously delivers him. His deliverance is marked with looking up to heaven while spending time in the wilderness among the animals as a beast, and acknowledges that God is the one true Most high above all men. A classic work that will humble the Christian, and should not be missed. This is not a scan or facsimile, and contains an active table of contents for electronic versions.

Retells the stories from Old Testament with illustrations created with LEGO toys.

'She defined herself by her past because she saw no future...' This woman knew what it was to feel unloved, to feel unwanted, to suffer disappointment, and to want revenge. However, she found the courage to go forward in life. Her name is Hagar, the woman who cried out to God. In this book, we take you, on a memorable, meaningful, and exploratory journey into Hagar's life. We journey through her story whilst drawing lessons and touching on a vast array of subjects from surrogacy to abandonment, to hearing from God, as well as many topics that greatly affected women then, and many women today. Are you a wandering soul that has felt unloved, or unwanted? Your 'well' is waiting for you in the pages of this book. Take a leap of faith and go along on this journey with Hagar.

For many centuries, from the birth of the religion late in the second millennium BC to its influence on the Achaemenids and later adoption in the third century AD as the state religion of the Sasanian Empire, it enjoyed imperial patronage and profoundly shaped the culture of antiquity. The Magi of the New Testament most probably were Zoroastrian priests from the Iranian world, while the enigmatic figure of Zarathushtra (or Zoroaster) himself has exerted continual fascination in the West, influencing creative artists as diverse as Voltaire, Nietzsche, Mozart and Yeats. This authoritative volume brings together internationally recognised scholars to explore Zoroastrianism in all its rich complexity. Examining key themes such as history and modernity, tradition and scripture, art and architecture and minority status and religious identity, it places the modern Zoroastrians of Iran, and the Parsis of India, in their proper contexts. The book extends and complements the coverage of its companion volume, The Everlasting Flame.