Religious and Theological Abstracts

William Sailer

Editor

David C. Greulich and Harold P. Scanlin

Associate Editors

Copyright 2012 Religious and Theological Abstracts. All Rights Reserved.

1948

Biblical Archaeologist

Mari,

Mendenhall, George E. “Mari,” Biblical Archaeologist 1948, Vol. 11 (1), pp: 2–19. ISSN: 0006–0895

Until 1933, Mari was one of the ghost towns of the Near East, buried under the sands of time. In 1932 W.F. Albright suggested that Tell Hariri, near the Iraq-Syria border, must have been ancient Mari. Confirmation came the following year. Results of excavation were to become one of the most sensational discoveries in a generation, and the task of assimilating the new material made available will continue for years to come. Describes the palace, royal archives, the history of Mari, its relation to the patriarchs.

The Family in the Ancient Near East

Mendelsohn, I. “The Family in the Ancient Near East.” Biblical Archaeologist 1948, Vol. 11 (2), pp: 24–40. ISSN: 0006–0895

The Near Eastern family of historical times is patriarchal in character and organization. Both Canaanite and Israelite families were polygamous. The Ugaritic god Baal has three “perfect brides.” The OT law takes it as a matter of fact that the normal well-to-do family consisted of two wives (Deut 21:15). Marriage was a civil affair with not religious sanction necessary. Considers marriage and divorce, and women and children.

The Discovery of the Scrolls

Trevor, John C. “The Discovery of the Scrolls.” Biblical Archaeologist 1948, Vol. 11 (3), pp: 46–57. ISSN: 0006–0895

Describes the discovery and examination of ancient Hebrew scrolls discovered near the Dead Sea during the summer of

The Contents and Significance of the Manuscripts

Burrows, Millar. “The Contents and Significance of the Manuscripts.” Biblical Archaeologist 1948, Vol. 11 (3), pp: 57–61. ISSN: 0006–0895

Manuscripts, discovered near the Dead Sea, committed to the American Schools of Oriental Research for study are part of a much larger collection. While statements concerning them have been cautious, it has been announced that some if not all are believed to date at least to the beginning of the Christian era, AD 70. The scrolls are witnesses to the amount of religious literature being written in Hebrew about the beginning of our era and the preceding century or two. For students of the Bible the manuscript of Isaiah is the most interesting and important. The collection will provide material for study for years to come, and will provide much new material for the understanding of the history of Judaism in the Intertestamental period and of the text of the

Leviathan and the Beast in Revelation

Wallace, Howard. “Leviathan and the Beast in Revelation.” Biblical Archaeologist 1948, Vol. 11 (3), pp: 61–68. ISSN: 0006–0895

A perplexing problem of NT study has been the source and interpretation of the beast in the Book of Revelation. Leviathan is part of a dragon theme in mythology in several ancient religions. The close ...