Rearranging the Gods in Esarhaddon's Succession Treaty (SAA 2 6:414—465)

The arrangement of divine names in the curse section of Esarhaddon's Succession Treaty (SAA 2 6:414—465) defied D.J. Wiseman's expectations. Subsequent scholars have claimed the arrangement is based on the traditional divine hierarchy of the Assyrian pantheon or the lexical godlists tradit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Die Welt des Orients 2013-06, Vol.43 (1), p.1-24
Main Author: Allen, Spencer L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Carrion
Commercial treaties
Deities
Divinities
Divinity
Famine
Gods
Hierarchy
Innovation
Leprosy
Middle East
Motivation
Names
Religious history
Scribes
Sin
Tradition
Treaties
Writing tablets
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Summary:The arrangement of divine names in the curse section of Esarhaddon's Succession Treaty (SAA 2 6:414—465) defied D.J. Wiseman's expectations. Subsequent scholars have claimed the arrangement is based on the traditional divine hierarchy of the Assyrian pantheon or the lexical godlists tradition, but such explanations are only partially adequate. This paper argues that the list of gods in ll. 414—465 (and especially ll. 419—430) was instead based upon an ancient Mesopotamian curse tradition, as Moshe Weinfeld observed, common to the Laws of Ḫammurapi and several other Neo-Assyrian treaties. This paper also reveals the Assyrian scribe's specific motives underlying his innovations to this ancient curse tradition in SAA 2 6:414—465 and proposes reexamining the relationship between SAA 2 6 and Deuteronomy 28 in light of these innovations and motives.
ISSN:0043-2547
2196-9019
DOI:10.13109/wdor.2013.43.1.1