Greek Religion and Culture, the Bible, and the Ancient Near East

Jan N. Bremmer

Brill, 2008 - History - 424 pages

In the last decades there has been an increasing interest in the relationship between Greek religion & culture and the Ancient Near East. This challenging book contributes greatly to this interest by studying the Near Eastern background of important Greek myths, such as those of the creation of the world and the first woman, the Flood, the Golden Fleece, the Titans and travelling seers, but also of the births of Attis and Asclepius as well as the origins of the terms a ~paradisea (TM) and a ~magica (TM). It also shows that, in turn, Greek literature influenced Jewish stories of divine epiphanies and that the Greek scapegoat myths and rituals contributed to the central Christian notion of atonement.

About the author

Jan N. Bremmer (Ph.D. 1979) is professor of Religious Studies at the University of Groningen. He has published extensively on Greek, Roman, Early Christian and contemporary religion, including Greek Religion (1994) and The Rise and Fall of the Afterlife (2002).

Bibliographic information

• Title: Greek Religion and Culture, the Bible, and the Ancient Near East; Volume 8 of Jerusalem studies in religion and culture, ISSN 1570-078X
• Author: Jan N. Bremmer
• Publisher: Brill, 2008
• ISBN: 9004164731, 9789004164734
• Length: 424 pages
• Subjects: History / Ancient / General; History / Ancient / Greece; Religion / Biblical Studies / General; Religion / History