To many readers the book of Ezekiel is a hopeless riddle. We may still find many features of the man and his message difficult and sometimes even shocking or offensive. The bizarre opening vision catches us off guard and tempts us to stop reading. Apersistent reader, however, who meditates long and hard on individual utterances and sign actions, will discover that despite the strangeness of the man, this is the most clearly organized of the major prophetic books. Individual prophecies are clearly marked by headings and often by conclusions. The priestly prophet knew his audience, something that is evident if one continues to delve deeper: he recognized in Judah's rebellion against YHWH the underlying cause of the divine fury that resultedin the exile of his people and the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 BCE. However, he also recognized that YHWH's judgment could not be the last word: his covenant is eternal and irrevocable. A day of spiritual renewal and national restoration is anticipated. This is the first of two volumes of essays on Ezekiel and his book. The seven general essays and two studies of particular texts in this collection explore the times, the message, and the methods of the prophetic priest.

This book is a collection of essays focusing on homosexual behavior in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Ancient Greece, and Ancient Rome.

This substantial volume presents the results of the Mashkan-shapir project which surveyed the extensive remains of this Old Babylonian city to the north of Nippur in the deserts of Iraq.

In this revealing study, the author suggests that ancient Israel was a 'magic society' like those around it, and similar in many respects to a number of magic-using 'savage' societies studied by modern social anthropology. Although the Old Testament attempts to distinguish between priestly and prophetic divination, this distinction was not sharply drawn in ancient times. References to divination in fact are found in all genres of Israelite literature, implying that many of these practices were performed throughout Israelite society. 'Cryer's investigation of divination in ancient Israel is a masterful synthesis of social and historical analyses of an important yet neglected topic' (Ronald E. Simkins, Catholic Biblical Quarterly).

Around 2,300 BC Enheduanna was high priestess to the moon god Nanna at his temple in Ur, a position she held for almost forty years. This volume translates Enheduanna's three devotional poems to the goddess Inanna accompanied by an extensive commentary and discussion which places these highly personal and unique expressions within the context of Sumerian culture and religion. The author highlights the importance of the poems and the princess for our understanding of the place of women in Near Eastern society and religion.