Child Sacrifice in Ancient Israel By Heath D. Dewrell
Among the many religious acts condemned in the Hebrew Bible, child sacrifice stands out as particularly horrifying. The idea that any group of people would willingly sacrifice their own children to their god(s) is so contrary to modern moral sensibilities that it is difficult to imagine that such a practice could have ever existed. Nonetheless, the existence of biblical condemnation of these rites attests to the fact that some ancient Israelites in fact did sacrifice their children. Indeed, a close reading of the evidence—biblical, archaeological, epigraphic, etc.—indicates that there are at least three different types of Israelite child sacrifice, each with its own history, purpose, and function.
Child Sacrifice in Ancient Israel By Heath D. Dewrell Child Sacrifice in Ancient Israel Heath D. Dewrell $55.95 Hardcover EditionISBN: 978-1-57506-494-9 Add to Cart Customers in Europe Buy Here CART (0) Search Books Browse By Series By Full List Ordering Exam Copy Requests PSU Press Journals Browse Pricing and Subscriptions Permissions Advertising Policies Resources Authors Proposals Manuscript Guidelines Marketing Ordering Books Instructors Exam Copy Requests Subject Lists Series Course Orders Booksellers Sales Representation Wholesalers Review Copy Requests Metadata Feeds Schedule an Event Bulk & Special Sales Contact Rights & Permissions Permissions Subsidiary Rights Accessibility Author's Own Work Review Copy Requests About Contact Mission/History Staff Child Sacrifice in Ancient Israel Heath D. Dewrell Buy $55.95 | Hardcover Edition ISBN: 978-1-57506-494-9 236 pages6" × 9"2017Explorations in Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations Child Sacrifice in Ancient Israel Heath D. Dewrell Among the many religious acts condemned in the Hebrew Bible, child sacrifice stands out as particularly horrifying. The idea that any group of people would willingly sacrifice their own children to their god(s) is so contrary to modern moral sensibilities that it is difficult to imagine that such a practice could have ever existed. Nonetheless, the existence of biblical condemnation of these rites attests to the fact that some ancient Israelites in fact did sacrifice their children. Indeed, a close reading of the evidence—biblical, archaeological, epigraphic, etc.—indicates that there are at least three different types of Israelite child sacrifice, each with its own history, purpose, and function. Description Table of Contents Description Among the many religious acts condemned in the Hebrew Bible, child sacrifice stands out as particularly horrifying. The idea that any group of people would willingly sacrifice their own children to their god(s) is so contrary to modern moral sensibilities that it is difficult to imagine that such a practice could have ever existed. Nonetheless, the existence of biblical condemnation of these rites attests to the fact that some ancient Israelites in fact did sacrifice their children. Indeed, a close reading of the evidence—biblical, archaeological, epigraphic, etc.—indicates that there are at least three different types of Israelite child sacrifice, each with its own history, purpose, and function.In addition to examining the historical reality of Israelite child sacrifice, Dewrell’s study also explores the biblical rhetoric condemning the practice. While nearly every tradition preserved in the Hebrew Bible rejects child sacrifice as abominable to Yahweh, the rhetorical strategies employed by the biblical writers vary to a surprising degree. Thus, even in arguing against the practice of child sacrifice, the biblical writers themselves often disagreed concerning why Yahweh condemned the rites and why they came to exist in the first place. Table of Contents AcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsIntroductionChapter 1. Children Sacrificed as Part of a "Molek" RiteThose Who Deny the Existence of a God "Molek"Scholars Who Continue to Argue That "Molek" Was a Deity"Molek" Disappears Once AgainChapter 2. Archaeological, Iconographic, and Epigraphic Evidence for Child Sacrifice in the Levant and Central MediterraneanMegiddo, Gezer, and TaanachThe Amman Airport Temple and Umm el-MarraAlleged Depictions of Canaanite Child Sacrifice in Egyptian ArtThe Punic Central MediterraneanMore Evidence from the Levant? Tyre and AchzivThe Nebi Yunis InscriptionThe Incirli TrilingualThe Deir ʿAllā InscriptionsThe Idalion InscriptionSummary and ConclusionsAppendix: Documentation of Sites with TophetsChapter 3. A General Sacrifice of Firstborn Israelite Children?Chapter 4. Varieties of Child Sacrifice in Ancient IsraelMesha's Sacrifice of His Firstborn SonFirstborn Offerings in Micah 6:1–8JephthahHiel's Firstborn and Youngest Sons?Child Sacrifice in Assyrian Samerina?Molek Revisited: The History and Nature of Israelite למלך SacrificesConclusionsChapter 5. Biblical Reactions to Israelite Child SacrificeDeuteronomyLater Legal TraditionsEzekielJeremiahConclusionsSummary and ConclusionsBibliographyIndexesIndex of AuthorsIndex of ScriptureIndex of Other Ancient Sources Also of Interest Life and Mortality in Ugaritic A Lexical and Literary Study Matthew McAffee Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list and be notified about new titles, journals and catalogs. THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY PRESSCONTACT the PRESSACCESSIBILITY 820 N. University Dr. USB 1, Suite CUniversity Park, PA 16802-1003