Homer's Odyssey and the Near East [Hardcover]

Explores the parallels between the Odyssey and genres of myth extant in various Near Eastern cultures, in particular the Bible.The Odyssey's plot consists of distinct types of myth, all of which are also in Near Eastern texts such as Gilgamesh, other Mesopotamian myths, Egyptian narratives, and in particular the Bible. This book argues that reading the Odyssey can help readers to understand and clarify the Bible, and vice versa.The Odyssey's plot consists of distinct types of myth, all of which are also in Near Eastern texts such as Gilgamesh, other Mesopotamian myths, Egyptian narratives, and in particular the Bible. This book argues that reading the Odyssey can help readers to understand and clarify the Bible, and vice versa.The Odyssey's larger plot is composed of a number of distinct genres of myth, all of which are extant in various Near Eastern cultures (Mesopotamian, West Semitic, Egyptian). Unexpectedly, the Near Eastern culture with which the Odyssey has the most parallels is the Old Testament. Consideration of how much of the Odyssey focuses on non-heroic episodes  hosts receiving guests, a king disguised as a beggar, recognition scenes between long-separated family members  reaffirms the Odyssey's parallels with the Bible. In particular the book argues that the Odyssey is in a dialogic relationship with Genesis, which features the same three types of myth that comprise the majority of the Odyssey: theoxeny, romance (Joseph in Egypt), and Argonautic myth (Jacob winning Rachel from Laban). The Odyssey also offers intriguing parallels to the Book of Jonah, and Odysseus' treatment by the suitors offers close parallels to the Gospels' depiction of Christ in Jerusalem.Introduction; 1. Divine councils and apocalyptic myth; 2. Theoxeny: Odyssey 1, 3, 1322, and Genesis 1819; 3. Romance: the Odyssey and the myth of Joseph (Genesis 37, 3947); 4. Helen and Rahab (Joshua 2), Menelaus and Jacob (Genesis 32:2232); 5. Ogygia and creation myth, Kalypso and Ishtar; 6lÃH